Cape Town’s City Hall on Monday officially become a precinct of Parliament – until 17 February. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has on Monday handed over the historic landmark to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo.
The president’s State of the Nation Address will be held there on 10 February, due to a devastating fire at Parliament on 2 January.
Mapisa-Nqakula said among all the venues offered the City Hall was the most suitable facility, meeting all the infrastructure and capacity requirements.
It’s also the place where Nelson Mandela made his first speech as a free man on 11 February 1990 with President Cyril Ramaphosa by his side.
And 32-years-later, Ramaphosa returns to the same place to deliver the 2022 State of the Nation Address.
“Yes, the were different venues that were offered to us but when we were discussing this matter, we felt very strongly that City Hall would be the most appropriate,” the Speaker said.
It’s the first time in the history of South Africa’s democracy that the State of the Nation Address takes place outside the parliamentary precinct.
-EWN
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