CAPE TOWN - Political parties will be watching the President's speech closely on Thursday evening.
Politicians shared their expectations ahead of the address.
The GOOD Party's Brett Herron said, "I don't think it [the SONA] can be the same because the previous SONAs, all of them, since the dawn of democracy have been a majority government and this is a coalition government."
BOSA's Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster spoke with eNCA about her expectations.
EFF SG Marshall Dlamini spoke with eNCA's Moloto Moloko about the address.
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi discussed his expectations for the address.
Alan Winde, Western Cape DA Premier discussed his expectations for the address.
The African Christian Democratic Party's Kenneth Meshoe shared his expectations.
EFF MP Sinawo Thambo said the party's approach to Parliament has changed since the last elections.
"We are going to approach it differently," he said.
"Strategically we have shifted our focus to making qualitative inputs."
ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli said SONA comes at a time when the ANC is in control in a sense that the GNU is a creation of the intervention that was made by the party
"We’re expecting that this must be an opportunity for the president to present a medium-term development plan which must incorporate and reflect the manifesto of the ANC," he said.
The IFP said their expectations are very high.
"We’re expecting the president to announce on key priority areas that government is intending to do in so far as taking the country forward," said Nhlanhla Hadebe.
DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach said the President's priorities must be to lower the crime rate and for corruption to be eradicated.
"Those are the things we need to address to get off the greylist."