CAPE TOWN – Former President Jacob Zuma will not attend tonight’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) due to a court commitment, contradicting earlier parliamentary announcements of his expected attendance.

MK party parliamentary chief whip Mzwanele Manyi accused authorities of deliberately scheduling Zuma’s court appearance to clash with SONA. “It has been structured to exclude him. How does the left hand not know what the right is doing?” Manyi said.

The announcement contradicts National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza’s earlier statement that all former presidents, including Zuma, had confirmed their attendance at the annual address.

Manyi claimed the judiciary had intentionally created a scheduling conflict, noting that February 6 was long advertised as the SONA date. He dismissed the upcoming presidential address as “fake,” announcing that the MK party would deliver their own “real” SONA next week.

“He is busy with the judiciary. He can’t be at two places at the same time,” Manyi said, adding that Parliament had denied the MK party’s request for a venue to host their alternative address by party leader John Hlophe.

Speaker Didiza had earlier told the public broadcaster that former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe, along with other dignitaries, had confirmed their attendance at tonight’s event.