WATCH | Red velvet seats, marching band and more planned for Sona 2022

The military band has dusted off its instruments and set up for the state of the nation address (Sona) outside Cape Town's city hall, which now forms part of the parliamentary precinct.

On Wednesday afternoon, the presiding officers toured the interim facility with journalists.

Parliament has planned a stripped-down ceremony that is expected to cost less than R4m.

 The change in location has reduced the budget for the event, from an initial R6m.

“At a minimum it will be around R1.9m. The worst scenario is that it will be around R4m or so,” said National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson Amos Masondo. 

While the military parade is expected to be a feature of Sona 2022, indications are that it won't be as large an event as usual. The parliamentary sitting will be held in a hybrid format with some MPs dialling in virtually. 

The 2021 Sona will remain the cheapest such event to date, having cost only R100,000. 

The ceremony has previously cost as much as R9.2m, but in 2019 the spending was capped at R2.2m.  

TimesLIVE