Pretoria - President Kgalema Motlanthe will deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) to a joint sitting of Parliament on 6 February, according to Cabinet.
In a statement issued after Cabinet held its first ordinary meeting of the year, on Tuesday, Government Spokesperson Themba Maseko said the SONA will be a key event on the annual 2009 Parliamentary programme.
Among other activities on the programme, Mr Maseko said, will be the Budget Speech which will be delivered by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on 11 February.
The Cabinet meeting also noted the First Report on the Implementation of South Africa's African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Programme of Action.
The APRM is a self-monitoring mechanism for member states of the African Union (AU) to voluntarily undergo review across various sectors.
Its mandate is to encourage participating member states to align their policies and practices and ensure these conform to agreed political, economic and corporate governance values, codes and standards.
"The report will be finalised after further comments are received from all government departments. The report will be presented to the APRM Forum of Heads of State during the course of 2009," Mr Maseko said.
The report covers the period from November 2007 to December 2008 and reflects on the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of the ARPM Country Report.
The APRM process seeks to ensure that mutually agreed socio-economic development objectives of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) are achieved.
The mechanism also ensures accountability of leaders and the deepening of trust and cooperation among governments and countries.
The meeting also noted that the 8th Bi-Annual World Conference of the International Association of Refugee Law Judges (IARLJ) will take place in Cape Town on 28 to 30 January 2009.
The conference seeks to provide training in refugee law decision making to judges.
In Africa, the chapter of the IARLJ seeks to further the objectives of the association, through the co-operation and the exchange of information and expertise on asylum and refugee law, procedures and decision-making among states in Africa.
The Cabinet meeting further extended the employment contract of Mr Sandile Nogxina, the Director General in the Department of Minerals and Energy, for three years.
It also approved the appointment of Taffy Adler as Chief Executive Officer of the newly-established Housing Development Agency. Mr Adler is currently CEO of Johannesburg Housing Company.
