By President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday, 18 July 2024, deliver the Opening of Parliament Address (OPA) for the seventh administration where he will set the tone for the coming years.
Investors, business and the general public are waiting in anticipation to see what the Government of National Unity (GNU) will bring and if it will work at all.
The markets, at the beginning of the negotiations and inception of the GNU showed appreciation and confidence in the GNU, with the Rand reaching the R17 mark against the US Dollar. The Rand however slowly lost momentum against the US Dollar returning to R18.
Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow convene a joint sitting of two Houses of Parliament, including the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. The address will mark the start of the five year parliamentary cycle.
The address provides President Cyril Ramaphosa an opportunity to outline the key priorities and policies of the 7th Administration. The 7th Administration is made up of several political parties that formed a Government of National Unity.
The parties to the GNU have undertaken to promote the principles of non-racialism and non-sexism as well as advance social justice, redress and equity, human dignity and socio-economic rights. Moreover, they have committed to accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance as well as evidence-based policy and decision-making.
These tenets all align to the country’s democratic order which is underpinned by South Africa’s world acclaimed Constitution, the Bill of Rights in its entirety and the rule of law.
The Opening of Parliament Address coincides with the United Nations-declared Nelson Mandela International Day. The day calls on people around the world to take action to help change the world for the better, and by doing so, build a global movement for good.
The President will deliver his address at 19:00 at City Hall in Cape Town.
