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weekly newspaper. That’s not to say things can’t change, particularly when it comes to what seems to be virtual-platform fatigue. The last Cabinet meeting in late April actually had ministers in person in the same room, physically distanced and masked. It was an Instagrammable moment for some, like social development portfolio boss Lindiwe Zulu, as Government Communication and Information System snapped the photos. Cabinet meetings have been getting more attention lately. The regular cycle of meeting every other Wednesday, followed by a public briefing or statement, has been cranked up. ...

Addresses to the nation, by their character and in their political role, are one-way communication channels at times of crisis. South Africa has had 17 of those, dubbed presidential statements on “progress on the national effort against the Covid-19 pandemic” from 15 March 2020, announcing the State of Disaster, to the last on 1 February. A State of the Nation Address (SONA) like Thursday’s has always been different. Traditionally, the presidential setting-out of government priorities and plans for the year marks the formal opening of the parliamentary year and is followed by three days...

It was encouraging when word emerged that MPs would receive training over two weeks ahead of a busy 2021 parliamentary calendar. The shine wore off when it turned out the training was on stuff such as oversight and how to make a law.

First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper. Letters spelling out “National Assembly” have appeared on the gable above the pillars of the people’s House. It’s ludicrous. The National Assembly doesn’t need letters to spell out what it is. That building is central to the ceremonial, like the president pausing for the national anthem before the State of the Nation Address – the next is scheduled for 11 February 2021 – and to demonstrations regularly held at the gates of Parliament. One reason Madiba’s bust was placed in front of the National Assembly in 2014 was pr...