President Jacob Zuma has confirmed that he wrote to the
Parliament’s presiding officers to request a postponement of the State of the
Nation Address.
In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon‚ Zuma said the
request was “due to certain developments” that made delivering the SONA
untenable.
“President Jacob Zuma has written to the Speaker of the
National Assembly‚ Baleka Mbete and the chairperson of the Council of
Provinces‚ Thandi Modise‚ requesting the postponement of the joint sitting of
the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces‚ which he had asked
them to convene in order to deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“The President has requested the postponement due to
certain developments which make it not conducive to successfully hold the
sitting and deliver the SONA. The Presiding Officers have acceded to the President’s
request‚” the statement said.
Zuma has been under pressure to vacant the country’s
highest office since he was replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa at the ANC’s elective
conference in December. However‚ he had reportedly refused to do so – leading
to calls‚ from inside and outside the party‚ for him to be recalled and
replaced.
Earlier in the day‚ Mbete confirmed that Zuma was writing
to her and Modise to request the postponement.
Asked during a media Q&A outside Parliament on Tuesday
about the contents of that letter‚ Mbete said: “All we know that he told us he
was in the process of writing to us‚ and we are awaiting the letter.”
However there are some like the DA's chief whip, John
Steenhuisen, who do not believe it was Zuma's decision.
"I think that they are trying to give a dignified exit
to the man. I don't think that's the case, I think Mr Zuma's hand is being
forced. I think that we look at the outcome of some of the NWC engagements,
some of the top six engagements with him, that's not the message that he's been
sending out there.
His message is people of South Africa want him and still
want him to stay on. We all know that's not the truth, his party knows that's
not the truth and parliament has now said 'well that's not the truth. Allowing
you to deliver Sona Mr Zuma would reduce the evening to a farce' and I think
that's being avoided," he said. Times
0 comments:
Post a Comment