OCKHAM OBSERVER

An eye on the week ahead

Ramaphosa to deliver SONA

President Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation Address to a joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday.

Monday 9 February
Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe delivers the opening address at African Mining Indaba held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

The ANC Greater Tshwane Region holds a media briefing in Pretoria to present evidence of alleged corruption in the City of Tshwane.

The Prince of Wales undertakes his first official visit to Saudi Arabia.

Ghislaine Maxwell, co-conspirator of infamous sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein will be deposed in a US congressional investigation into the couple’s actions.

A jury trial begins in New Mexico in which the state’s attorney general alleges Meta failed to protect children on Facebook and Instagram from sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Bitcoin Investor Week begins in New York, bringing together institutional investors and finance leaders for discussions on Bitcoin’s role in global markets.

World Epilepsy Day raises awareness for the over 50 million people afflicted with the neurological condition worldwide.

South Africa play Canada in their Group D match at the T20 World Cup in India.

Tuesday 10 February
President Cyril Ramaphosa participates in a pre-State of the Nation Address consultation process with Deputy President Paul Mashatile and cabinet ministers in Cape Town.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will also engage with young people in Khayelitsha ahead of his State of the Nation Address.

University of Fort Hare Vice-Chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu is in discussion with Executive Director of the Centre for Development and Enterprise Ann Bernstein on governance failures and the challenge of university reform.

ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip undertakes an oversight visit with farmers in Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape amid a recurring foot-and-mouth disease outbreak affecting the dairy sector.

In Parliament:

  • The Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture receives briefings on the Mzansi Golden Economy open call and on the Minister’s decision to cancel the planned amalgamation of arts and heritage entities.
  • The Portfolio Committee on Agriculture considers its oversight visit report to the Eastern Cape and receives a briefing from TGK Farming on support to the Ncera macadamia farming business.
  • The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation reflects on the International Water Association Congress and considers reports from the International Water Regulators Forum and provincial oversight visits.
  • The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies receives performance and expenditure briefings from various entitiues including a financial sustainability and recovery plan for Broadband Infraco.
  • The Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries receives the Department’s first and second quarter performance reports for 2025/26.

South Africa Women play Pakistan Women in the 1st T20I at JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom.

Wednesday 11 February
President Cyril Ramaphosa launches the Nelson Mandela Rules Training Academy at Drakenstein Correctional Centre.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile convenes a virtual meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Water and Service Delivery.

Parliament’s Presiding Officers, led by National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and NCOP Chairperson Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, brief the media on readiness to host the 2026 State of the Nation Address.

The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans considers public submissions and departmental responses on the Defence Amendment Bill and the Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Amendment Bill.

It is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Municipal by-elections take place in uMzumbe, KwaZulu-Natal and George in the Western Cape.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister’s Questions, following a bruising encounter last week over Starmer’s appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as ambassador despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

EU defence ministers meet in Brussels for the Foreign Affairs Council, including discussions on military support to Ukraine and an exchange with Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to deliver a speech marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Barbados holds an election for its House of Assembly.

The Proteas play Afghanistan in their Group D match at the T20 World Cup.

Thursday 12 February
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the 2026 State of the Nation Address at a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces at Cape Town City Hall, outlining the government’s priorities for the year ahead.

StatsSA will release the Mining Production and Sales statistics for December 2025.

Bangladesh holds parliamentary elections following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Voters also take part in a referendum on a package of proposed constitutional reforms.

It is the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism.

Friday 13 February
President Cyril Ramaphosa takes part in a post-State of the Nation Address Golf Day and Gala Dinner at Atlantic Beach Golf Estate.

The Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament receives a briefing on readiness to hand over the Nieuwmeester Dome and considers reports on rebuilding work at the parliamentary precinct following the 2022 fire.

The Joint Standing Committee on Defence receives an academic briefing on SANDF deployments and related operational challenges.

The Munich Security Conference begins in Germany, bringing together heads of state and government and senior officials for high-level discussions on European security, the future of the transatlantic relationship and wider global conflicts.

US lawmakers face a deadline to avert a lapse in Department of Homeland Security funding, amid debate over proposed guardrails on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents’ conduct.

South Africa’s women’s cricket team face Pakistan in a second T20 match.

Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, is set to premiere with an original soundtrack by pop star Charli XCX.

Saturday 14 February
The African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government meets in Addis Ababa under the 2026 theme of assuring sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems.

It’s Valentine’s Day, widely observed as a celebration of love.

The Proteas face New Zealand in a Group D match of the T20 World Cup in India.

Sunday 15 February
Public comments close on the Department of Home Affairs’ Draft Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection.

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Ockham Communications relies on a range of sources to compile the Ockham Observer and cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies or omissions.