Cape Town - Parliament is making sweeping changes by tightening up its rules in a process that could see EFF MPs banned from wearing overalls and gumboots in the House.
Chairperson of the sub-committee on rules Richard Mdakane said on Wednesday they hoped to finalise the rules by the end of next month.
The rules on the dress code for MPs is one of a raft of changes sought by Parliament, in a process that began years ago.
Mdakane said while the process could not be finalised in 2013, months before the elections last May, it had been carried to the new term of the current Parliament.
While the EFF stood in one corner, not backing down on wearing their overalls and gumboots, the ANC was in another corner, backed by the other opposition parties on the rules for the dress code.
The DA and IFP said on Wednesday that they fully backed the rules that would force MPs to dress appropriately and in a manner that is acceptable to society.
ANC MP Juli Kilian said it was unacceptable to wear informal clothes in the national legislature.
In the past, there had been MPs who would wear informal clothes, which was not in accordance with the dignity and decorum of the House, she said.
“It’s necessary for us to be on the same page. This matter came in the rules review, that is why we flagged it. It has got nothing to do with the current situation,” Kilian said.
Another ANC MP, Lemias Mashile, said parliamentarians were not representing themselves in the national legislature, but the people.
Rules must be created to have minimum standards for the dress code, he said. “We are not here on our will or wishes. We are representing people.
“Dressing decently means that a person represents certain people. As public representatives, we must behave in a manner which reflects that,” Mashile said.
DA politician Sandy Kalyan also bemoaned the lack of respect for dressing properly. She said Parliament was their workplace and they had to dress appropriately.
The IFP’s
Narend Singh also opposed improper dress codes, saying these lessened the dignity of the House.
EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu said Parliament could not tell them what to wear. They came to Parliament knowing that they would put on their red overalls and gumboots and that was why people voted for them.
He said no amount of time spent on this matter would result in his party changing its position.
Political Bureau