Cape Town fire and Sona 2019 traffic – latest updates

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President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday deliver his last state-of-the-nation address ahead of elections in May with his party smarting from corruption allegations.

In his address to parliament last year, two days after Jacob Zuma resigned from office, Ramaphosa vowed a “new dawn”, promising economic revival and to fight endemic corruption, earning him plaudits even from the opposition benches.

But a year later, growth is tepid and unemployment remains stubbornly high at more than 27 percent while embarrassing details have emerged of corruption within the government and among ANC ruling party officials.

An ongoing commission into graft has heard blow-by-blow details of how bribes were paid to several government and party officials, including senior cabinet ministers serving in Ramaphosa’s government.

Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe and environment minister Nomvula Mokonyane are some of the top party guns whose names have been linked to corruption by witnesses at the graft hearings.

Ramaphosa is under pressure to move against the implicated officials, but he must also strive for party unity through the election.

“The truth that is coming out will set us free and will make us stronger, but we must make sure the wrong things being talked about in the commission must never, ever… happen again in South Africa,” Ramaphosa said at an ANC meeting last weekend.

The lead up to the event has, as usual, been marred by threats from the EFF to disrupt. On Thursday, they said they’re “not sure” if they would.

And while the pomp of the red carpet unravelled, two fires began to rage on a scorching day in the Mother City. The Holy Cross school in Woodstock was quickly contained, but over on the slopes of Kloof Nek, firefighters battled a blaze.

SONA 2019: Cape Town traffic updates

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