The much anticipated State of the Nation Address (Sona) has been confirmed by parliament's speaker to take place on Thursday.

We are, however, well aware of the expected drama by the opposition on who should address the nation. Taking into account the importance of this message on how our country is run, disrupting it cannot be a good idea.

For as much as opposition parties feel they are owed answers, as the youth we are also owed answers and it is only the Sona that can provide them. We have been promised free higher education and have a lot of unanswered questions as to how is it going to be rolled out. What will be its source of funding?

Yes, the question of the credibility of who reads the Sona is important to all of us. But there is still life to be lived after it and that does not depend on whether it is delivered by Jacob Zuma or Cyril Ramaphosa.

This joint sitting cannot be reduced to disagreements on two names. The presentation should be in the interests of the country, not individuals.

Issues of education are on the tip of everyone's tongue. We want to know how many FET colleges are going to be built and if more classes are to be built at existing universities to accommodate more students. We have the equally important land issue as well as the Western Cape's water crisis.

There are a lot of questions to be answered. It's not a political party address, but a state of the nation address.

Melato Mphahlele, Zebediela