Parliament – Parliament is a hive of activity on Thursday with tightened security for people coming in and major roads to the precinct closed, causing traffic logjams in the city centre.
Several protests are expected later in the day with the ANC also expecting thousands of its supporters at the nearby Grand Parade for the People’s Assembly.
President Jacob Zuma is expected to deliver his 10th State of the Nation Address in the evening.
But police and security services are already manning the precinct, only allowing accredited Parliamentary staff, officials, journalists and some contractors to come into the precinct.
Despite threats of disruption by the EFF Parliament has insisted that Zuma will deliver his State of the Nation Address.
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Zuma has also said he will deliver the address, and if people have a problem with him it was not his baby.
His job at hand was to deliver the SONA and give the message of the government to the nation.
The government has plans for the year, and the nation has to know.
Anti-nuclear groups will also gather in the city centre to protest against the nuclear programme. They want the government to scrap the R1 trillion nuclear programme.
Police Minister Nathi Nhleko would not say on Wednesday how many officers will be deployed for the SONA.
Last year about 200 police officers were deployed around the Parliamentary precinct and outside.