Making headlines: 'All systems go' for Sona, MPs hear; Shaun Abrahams says justice 'will be seen to be done' in Guptas and Zuma matters; And, Zimbabwe's president leads tributes to opposition leader Tsvangirai

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’ m Jessica Oosthuizen.

'All systems go' for Sona, MPs hear

Preparations for a State of the Nation Address, to be given by president Cyril Ramaphosa, is on track for today evening.

Ramaphosa was elected President at a sitting in the National Assembly yesterday.

National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete and National Council of Provinces chairperson Thandi Modise chaired a joint programming committee meeting yesterday to discuss logistics around today's planned Sona.

Parliament's acting secretary Penelope Tyawa, gave a breakdown of plans for the Sona after Jacob Zuma officially resigned as president on Wednesday.

Shaun Abrahams says justice 'will be seen to be done' in Guptas and Zuma matters

National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams said the National Prosecuting Authority had a strong case against the Guptas and that he was still waiting for the prosecuting team to advise him on the Jacob Zuma matter.

Abrahams was speaking outside of Parliament yesterday as Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as president of South Africa.

Earlier this week the NPA said Abrahams had given prosecutors until February 23 to provide him with their recommendations on whether or not former president Zuma should be prosecuted for the 2009 "spy tapes" case.

Last month, just hours before his deadline, Zuma submitted his representations to the NPA on why he should not be prosecuted.

And, Zimbabwe's president leads tributes to opposition leader Tsvangirai

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa led tributes to late opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday, describing the long-time rival of recently ousted president Robert Mugabe as a dedicated defender of democracy.

Arguably Zimbabwe's most popular politician, Tsvangirai died on Wednesday evening aged 65 after a long battle with cancer.

His death in a South African hospital cast his party, the Movement for Democratic Change, into unknown territory less than six months before the elections – the first election in Zimbabwe not to feature Mugabe.

Tsvangirai will receive a state funeral, but will not be buried at the National Heroes' Acre, largely reserved for ruling Patriotic Front guerrillas killed during the independence war, Mnangagwa said.

 

Also making headlines:
DA Western Cape leader Bonginkosi Madikizela said three quarters of the party's caucus voted in favour of a motion of no confidence in Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille, but added that she survived largely as a result of the support of the ANC and other smaller opposition parties.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today
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