Petition seeks censure of EFF

CIVIL rights organisations have started a petition, calling on the Speaker of Parliament to lay criminal charges against EFF MPs after they disrupted minister Pravin Gordhan’s recent budget speech.

The petition was started on Nelson Mandela Day by the Active Citizens Movement (ACM), Johannesburg Against Injustice, and the Merebank Justice Network.

It has since garnered hundreds of signatures. The ACM’s Yashica Padia said during the Minister of Public Enterprise’s budget speech, South Africa had “witnessed gross intimidation and arguably criminal conduct” by EFF MPs.

“During the departmental budget speech, Minister Gordhan was threatened and almost prevented from delivering on his constitutionally-mandated responsibility. Their actions, in the full glare of national and international media, were not only unparliamentary, but also unethical, unconstitutional, and criminal.”

Padia said they would not allow the EFF to act like “school yard bullies and reduce our democratic institutions to waste”.

She said: “They must also be subjected to disciplinary processes of Parliament, ordering the appropriate suspension of salaries and benefits as well as unconditional apologies to Minister Gordhan and the South African public.”

Padia said they would hand the petition to the Speaker of Parliament in August.

The spokesperson for the South African Communist Party (SACP), Alex Mashilo, said it condemned the physical assault threat directed at Gordhan.

“We fully support the rule of law and believe that it would be the right thing for the Minister and Speaker of Parliament to explore appropriate legal steps. The SACP fully understands why the civil society formations have initiated the petition as concerned South Africans, who are resolute on defending our democracy from the decay.”

Parliament is yet to make a decision on what action they intend on taking against the EFF.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Gordhan’s lawyers asked the North Gauteng High Court to rule against remedial actions set down by Public Protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane against their client. They cited that the findings of her report are “flawed”.

Advocate Wim Trengrove said Mkhwebane’s orders had to be suspended immediately and that she be halted from effecting any of her remedial actions.

Judgment has been reserved.