Staff Reporter
Preparations for the low-key official opening of the Free State Legislature on Tuesday cost about 35 percent of the budget for the usually colourful ceremony, Speaker Zanele Sifuba told journalists.
The provincial legislature had initially planned to host only 50 people for the official opening in line with the COVID-19 protocols for indoor gatherings.
But there were last-minute adjustments after the country was moved from alert Level 3 to 1 which allows for up to 100 guests for indoor gatherings.
“The expenditure for this year’s SOPA . . . by Sunday when I met with the team to receive a briefing, the indication was that we were at 35 percent of the total budget that we would have used,” said Sifuba without giving much detail.
“So, I think by the end of today (Tuesday), the team is going to meet with me and give me the final figures of how far we have gone in terms of the expenditure on the activities of today,” she added.
This year’s event did not have the usual hundreds of guests as well as the glitz and glamour and a parade by the uniformed forces.
The event was held at the Fourth Raadsal, thereby cutting the cost of hiring a venue.
Very few members of the provincial legislature attended the sitting as most of them followed proceedings online.
The State of the Nation Address held in Cape Town last month is said to have cost the country just over R100 000 as it was largely virtual with very few members in the house.
The exact figure for the Free State is yet to be determined.