Some ANC heavyweights in parliament have distanced themselves from President Jacob Zuma's decision to deploy more than 400 soldiers to the State of the Nation Address (Sona) to "maintain law and order".
They have also given assurances to opposition parties that the soldiers will not be deployed inside the parliamentary precinct.
Parliament seemed to backtrack on the army deployment following objections about the larger than usual deployment, which has more than tripled since 2013. In 2013, 168 soldiers were deployed to parliament for the Sona, 188 in 2015 compared to 441 this year.
The governing party's chief whip Jackson Mthembu yesterday came out strongly against the decision, calling for the matter to be corrected. "I've not heard anything that suggests that the military has been sent to parliament, I've not heard that. I've spoken to the Presidency. There is no indication that the military is being sent to parliament," Mthembu said.
SONA enables us to take part in our democracyThe State of the Nation Address (Sona) has become a key feature in our nation's calendar. It is a rallying point for South Africans and a valuable source for those who wish to take the pulse of democratic South Africa.
"Obviously we will be opposed to any military being sent to parliament. The role of the military in parliament is of a ceremonial nature as all of us know." He said those responsible for drafting Zuma's letter to parliament "must correct the wording" of the letter.
Mthembu spoke just before a meeting between speaker Baleka Mbete and party chief whips, where Mbete is said to have given an assurance that the army would not be deployed inside parliament.
In a letter dated February 2, the Presidency said the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will assist the South African Police Service "to maintain law and order during the opening of parliament".
Reason behind number of troops deployed for SONA is not for ‘public consumption’The South African public will never know what level of threat required the employment of 441 soldiers in Cape Town for Thursday’s state of the nation address (SONA).
National Council of Provinces chairwoman Thandi Modise confirmed that since 2013 the number of deployed SANDF members has been increasing, but could not provide reasons on the exponential increase.
"It is true. You say that the wording is different. The wording in 2013, it refers to combat crime to maintain and reserve the law. If you are in security sector you will know that they mean exactly the same thing," Modise said.
"The president is required when he deploys [soldiers] to inform parliament. It is required by the law. The fact that this year there is 441, parliament cannot explain the difference into why they chose in 2013 to deploy 168 and now 441.
"Earlier on in our meeting with chief whips of different parties we undertook to find out why the numbers have grown because we, ourselves, cannot explain ..."
After a meeting with Mbete and Modise, DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said the opposition had raised very strong objections to the deployment of the military.
"I said it's completely not business as usual. We've been given an assurance by the speaker and chairperson [Modise] that these military people will not be allowed on the parliamentary precinct at all. They said they didn't request the military to come, it's something the president has done. They don't know why the president has deployed so many people," said Steenhuisen.
Opposition parties feel the Sona will be all talk and no action when Zuma delivers it tonight. The ruling ANC has called for the president to come up with concrete action to take the country forward. The economy and "radical economic transformation" are expected to feature prominently in the president's speech.
"What we will have is the usual talk. The president talks a good game. There's gonna be zero follow through," Steenhuisen said.
"That has typified every one of his Sona addresses. He makes grand political pronouncements, grand political promises, but never translates [into action]. One remembers the Sona when he said he would create all those jobs. It never happened, instead we lost jobs," he said.
The EFF's Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said they would hold Zuma accountable, even though they don't recognise him as president.
On what the speech should focus on, Ndlozi repeated the party's call to expropriate land without compensation. "That's the only solution to land reform. You've also got to then immediately establish a state bank. Such a state bank must be a proper bank," said Ndlozi.
On the army's deployment, Ndlozi said it was designed to "intimidate us and it's unconstitutional. Parliament is a separate arm of the state. He wants us to be intimidated and go to parliament with guns on our heads. That's what it means."
Mthembu said they would like to see more "tangible movement" with regards to black ownership of the country's productive assets.
Angry reaction to deployment of army to SONA: 'It's designed to intimidate'
Some ANC heavyweights in parliament have distanced themselves from President Jacob Zuma's decision to deploy more than 400 soldiers to the State of the Nation Address (Sona) to "maintain law and order".
They have also given assurances to opposition parties that the soldiers will not be deployed inside the parliamentary precinct.
Parliament seemed to backtrack on the army deployment following objections about the larger than usual deployment, which has more than tripled since 2013. In 2013, 168 soldiers were deployed to parliament for the Sona, 188 in 2015 compared to 441 this year.
The governing party's chief whip Jackson Mthembu yesterday came out strongly against the decision, calling for the matter to be corrected. "I've not heard anything that suggests that the military has been sent to parliament, I've not heard that. I've spoken to the Presidency. There is no indication that the military is being sent to parliament," Mthembu said.
"Obviously we will be opposed to any military being sent to parliament. The role of the military in parliament is of a ceremonial nature as all of us know." He said those responsible for drafting Zuma's letter to parliament "must correct the wording" of the letter.
Mthembu spoke just before a meeting between speaker Baleka Mbete and party chief whips, where Mbete is said to have given an assurance that the army would not be deployed inside parliament.
In a letter dated February 2, the Presidency said the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will assist the South African Police Service "to maintain law and order during the opening of parliament".
National Council of Provinces chairwoman Thandi Modise confirmed that since 2013 the number of deployed SANDF members has been increasing, but could not provide reasons on the exponential increase.
"It is true. You say that the wording is different. The wording in 2013, it refers to combat crime to maintain and reserve the law. If you are in security sector you will know that they mean exactly the same thing," Modise said.
"The president is required when he deploys [soldiers] to inform parliament. It is required by the law. The fact that this year there is 441, parliament cannot explain the difference into why they chose in 2013 to deploy 168 and now 441.
"Earlier on in our meeting with chief whips of different parties we undertook to find out why the numbers have grown because we, ourselves, cannot explain ..."
After a meeting with Mbete and Modise, DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said the opposition had raised very strong objections to the deployment of the military.
"I said it's completely not business as usual. We've been given an assurance by the speaker and chairperson [Modise] that these military people will not be allowed on the parliamentary precinct at all. They said they didn't request the military to come, it's something the president has done. They don't know why the president has deployed so many people," said Steenhuisen.
Opposition parties feel the Sona will be all talk and no action when Zuma delivers it tonight. The ruling ANC has called for the president to come up with concrete action to take the country forward. The economy and "radical economic transformation" are expected to feature prominently in the president's speech.
"What we will have is the usual talk. The president talks a good game. There's gonna be zero follow through," Steenhuisen said.
"That has typified every one of his Sona addresses. He makes grand political pronouncements, grand political promises, but never translates [into action]. One remembers the Sona when he said he would create all those jobs. It never happened, instead we lost jobs," he said.
The EFF's Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said they would hold Zuma accountable, even though they don't recognise him as president.
On what the speech should focus on, Ndlozi repeated the party's call to expropriate land without compensation. "That's the only solution to land reform. You've also got to then immediately establish a state bank. Such a state bank must be a proper bank," said Ndlozi.
On the army's deployment, Ndlozi said it was designed to "intimidate us and it's unconstitutional. Parliament is a separate arm of the state. He wants us to be intimidated and go to parliament with guns on our heads. That's what it means."
Mthembu said they would like to see more "tangible movement" with regards to black ownership of the country's productive assets.
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