Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
The ring of steel in Parliament, ordered by Speaker Baleka Mbete, blocked hundreds of striking National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) members from entering Parliament yesterday.
Parliament is expected to put more stringent security measures in place today when President Jacob Zuma addresses the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
Other than Zuma showing up in Parliament today, hundreds of MPs from across the world will be in the chambers of Parliament for their annual gathering.
The tightening of security measures by Mbete yesterday followed a day of drama when Nehawu members trashed the institution and invaded the National Assembly.
Mbete said the events of Tuesday were unprecedented and required stringent security measures.
The impasse in the negotiations between Nehawu and the institution, over performance bonuses, forced the intervention of national leaders of the union.
Nehawu president Mzwan-dile Makwayiba told the striking workers he was attending the Cosatu congress when he had been forced to travel to Cape Town to intervene.
This was confirmed by Mbete, who said they had elevated the negotiations.
Mbete was meeting Makwayiba yesterday.
“We have begun the process to bring about sanity in this Parliament. We came to resolve this, that is why we left the Cosatu congress,” he told the striking workers.
Makwayiba also lashed out at the media for “distorting facts on issues affecting workers”. He said he was unable to divulge certain things to the striking workers because the media would twist the facts.
He said the media was owned by capitalists from outside the country who are not transformed.
They would report back to the workers today on progress made with Mbete.
Parliament and Nehawu have been at loggerheads for the past three weeks on the calculation of performance bonuses. Security was tight yesterday, with dozens of police officers and vans deployed across Parliament.
They blocked any Nehawu members from entering the precinct, leaving the union members to protest outside.
Parliament managed to finalise a number of bills yesterday. The disruption of Parliament forced it to extend its business by two days.