The State of the Nation Address 2023 (SONA 2023) will take place at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday, 9 February, and motorists are advised to take note of these road closures.
SONA 2023: Here are the Cape Town road closures to take note of
Chaos is anticipated at this year’s first official Parliamentary sitting, where President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver a review of his government’s questionable tenure thus far, and offer ‘gatvol’ South Africans an outlook of the good and bad that lies ahead.
With all the permutations suggesting yet another disruptive SONA, Cape Town motorists will be preoccupied with other problems, like dealing with the chaos that comes with finding alternative routes out of the CBD during evening peak periods this week.
The City of Cape Town has, since the start of the month, restricted access to certain routes in and around the CBD.
The six-phase approach launched on 1 February 2023, with the closure of Corporation Street between Darling and Longmarket Street.
Corporation Street was also cordoned off with a 1.8m fencing that runs from the KFC curb on Darling Street to Longmarket Street.
Fencing has also been erected:
- around the perimeter of Cape Town City Hall;
- on Darling Street;
- Parade Street; and
- the centre of Longmarket Street
Between Monday, 6 February 2023 and Wednesday, 8 February 2023, the following road closures were in place for the SONA 2023 rehearsal:
- Darling street between Buitenkant and Lower Plein Street
- Parade Street between Darling and Caledon Street
- Closing Parade: Corporation Street from Longmarket to Castle Street
- Castle Street from Corporation to Buitenkant Street
- Buitenkant from Castle Street to Glynn Street (including all side streets)
- Roeland Street from Buitenkant to Brandweer Street
- Harrington Street between Darling and Roeland Street
- Roeland Street closed up to Hope Street to Brandweer Street
- Parade Street between Caledon and Darling Street
- Caledon Street between Parade and Corporation Street
In anticipation of a hard road closure, parking will be restricted on these streets from 20:00 on Wednesday, 8 February 2023, until 23:59 on Thursday, 9 February 2023:
- Roeland from Brandweer to Plein Street
- Commercial Street
- Buitenkant from Glynn to Castle Street
- Darling Street from Sir Lowry to Plein Street
- Caledon Street from Corporation to Buitenkant Street
- Corporation Street from Darling to Albertus Street
- Parade Street between Albertus Street and Darling Street
On the day of SONA 2023, Cape Town motorists are strongly advised to avoid these roads at all costs:
- Darling Street from Lower Plein Street to Corporation Street
- Longmarket Street between Plein and Corporation Street
- Corporation Street between Longmarket and Caledon Street
- Longmarket Street between Plein to Buitenkant Street
- Parade Street from Albertus Street to Darling Street