Protests upstage Ramaphosa amid chaos in parliament
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s eagerly awaited state of the nation address descended into pandemonium yesterday when politicians from the radical left hijacked proceedings, forcing the suspension of parliament until order was restored.
Ramaphosa, 67, had to wait for 90 minutes before he could speak after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party made good on its threat to bring chaos to the chamber.
‘‘I am sure South Africa is not very proud of us,’’ Thandi Modise, 60, the Speaker, said as she battled to bring calm, watched by millions of television viewers at home and foreign diplomats in the public gallery.
The president’s fourth state of the nation speech was tipped to be the most closely watched since that given by Nelson Mandela in 1994, in the aftermath of South Africa’s first all-race elections. Ramaphosa’s supporters had hoped that his words would help to win over a sceptical audience at home and abroad, and convince them that he had the skills to bring stability to his country, which is buckling under $324 billion of national debt.
The EFF members, apparently satisfied that they had achieved their objective of overshadowing Ramaphosa’s address, staged a noisy walkout once Modise had managed to restore proceedings – but only after demanding that FW de Klerk, South Africa’s last white president, be ejected from the chamber and that the president’s ally, Pravin Gordhan, the public enterprises minister, be sacked.
Ramaphosa admitted, when he finally had the chance to speak, that he had presided over worsening poverty and rising unemployment. ‘‘Our economy has not grown at any meaningful rate for over a decade. Even as jobs are being created, the rate of unemployment is deepening. The recovery of our economy has stalled as persistent energy shortages have disrupted businesses and people’s lives,’’ he said.
He acknowledged the ‘‘debilitating’’ effect of the country’s crippled electricity monopoly, Eskom, on the lives of all South Africans.
Rolling blackouts have been imposed to protect a decrepit national grid from complete collapse. ‘‘It is you who carry this burden, confronted by rising living costs, unable to escape poverty, unable to realise your potential.’’
There were cheers in the chamber when he announced that he would allow local authorities to buy power from independent producers; something that has long been called for.