Infographic: SONA over the years - Themes, priorities and length of speeches

Only five days to go until President Zuma takes to the podium to read out the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA), where he will open Parliament for the second time this year and report on the status of the nation. As Parliament prepares for this important event, many eagerly await the speech that will inform the country about the government’s priorities, not only for the year, but also for the presidential term.

People’s Assembly has provided you with a breakdown of the SONAs from 2009 to 2013. We did not include the SONA that took place at the beginning of this year, 13 February 2014, because – in President Zuma’s words – “This is not an occasion to present the programme of action for this financial year. That programme will be presented by the new government after the elections.”

So for a breakdown of themes and priorities for 2009-2013, please see below. We have also included a breakdown of the average length of SONA speeches for former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, and current President Jacob Zuma.