Watch Live: Debate on Opening of Parliament Address

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered an optimistic and hopeful address at the opening of the first government of national unity (GNU) Parliament on Thursday evening, promising a single-minded focus on growth and job creation, an accelerated reform programme, and a compromise on the difficult issue of the National Health Insurance (NHI).

If the 2024 elections taught the ANC anything, it was about going back to basics.

The party which failed to achieve a majority in the recent election, under the cloud of growing poverty, inequality and unemployment, was forced to form a coalition agreement with 10 other parties.

On Thursday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Opening of Parliament speech was reflective of this new arrangement, with ordinary South Africans seemingly being put front and centre, after the ANC was taught a brutal lesson in the national elections.

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT DEBATE PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA’S SPEECH

There will be 52 speakers in the debate.

From the National Assembly’s side, the ANC has 92 minutes, the DA 52, the MKP 36, of which Hlophe will use 30 minutes, the EFF 24 minutes and the IFP 7 minutes.

The other parties have 5 or 4 minutes each.

First up will be ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli, followed by leader of the opposition, MKP’s John Hlophe, followed by DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen.