“The blaze which firefighters battled for more than 70 hours severely damaged the National Assembly [NA] building, including the NA chamber, where the official sittings of the NA and joint sittings of both houses of parliament are usually held in terms of both the NA and joint rules of parliament,” parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said in a video statement.
“The extensive damage has necessitated the institution to find an alternative venue to host this important event in the parliamentary calendar and the country.”
Mothapo spoke about the historical significance of using the Cape Town City Hall as a venue.
“Cape Town’s City Hall is the first place where the founding president of our democratic SA, former president Nelson Mandela, addressed the nation after his release from prison on February 11 1990, with President Cyril Ramaphosa by his side,” he said.
The Sona marks the official start of the parliamentary calendar and is followed by the budget speech and debate which take place within two weeks of the Sona.
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