EFFdisrupts House again
PARLIAMENT degenerated into chaos for the umpteenth time yesterday, with Speaker Baleka Mbete promising that they would decide whether to take disciplinary action against unruly EFF members or not.
In a fiery debate punctuated by heated exchanges across the floor during a squabble on whether President Jacob Zuma should answer questions on Nkandla, Mbete said the House needed to speed up the process of reviewing the rules of Parliament.
The House was brought to a standstill after EFF MP Makoti Khawula objected to Zuma answering even one question until he had addressed the Nkandla debacle.
Khawula’s objection was followed by various points of order from MPs from all parties, including ANC chief whip Stone Sizani, EFF leader Julius Malema and Mmusi Maimane of the DA.
After a two-hour stand-off, Mbete called off proceedings, saying Zuma would return to the House at a later stage.
During an impromptu media briefing, Mbete was adamant that she deliberately had not called the police to forcibly remove EFF MPs, so that the public could see who the culprits were.
She said they would have to decide in the coming weeks whether disciplinary action would be taken against the EFF.
National Council of Provinces chairperson Thandi Modise also told journalists that Mbete had in her wisdom decided not to call the police.
During the February State of the Nation address, Mbete ordered officers to remove EFF MPs after they disrupted Zuma’s speech.
This led to chaos in the chamber, with opposition parties slamming the Speaker for her decision.
But yesterday, Mbete said it was clear from the outset that the EFF was intent on disrupting proceedings.
She said that she had called the sergeant-at-arms, Regina Mohlomi, to remove EFF MPs for rowdy behaviour, but party members refused to obey her instructions.
The EFF said it took offence to the fact that Zuma had mocked Parliament when he appeared before MPs in March.
DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said Mbete had lost control of Parliament by allowing another sitting of the National Assembly to degenerate into chaos.
He said the Speaker could have done a better job by bringing the House to order.
Mbete said she hoped the tightening of the rules, a process currently under way, would improve the situation in Parliament.
“We are in the process of reviewing the rules, I mean all parties. Even our members, who are not in Parliament, are as frustrated as our members in Parliament. They don’t understand why the process (of reviewing the rules) is slow. The process is slow because it is a highly consultative process,” said Mbete.
She promised that the review of the rules, a process that was started in 2013, would be completed by year-end.
Mbete said another date would be found for Zuma to answer questions.
Unlike in the past, when Zuma was disrupted during the course of his replies, this time around the EFF did not even give him a chance to answer a single question.