EFF: prepare for a sequel

150213. Cape Town. EFF leader Julius Malema says the nation has witnessed racism last night during the SONA. He says the DA was allowed to make points of order while they ( EFF )were thrown out. Malema says that EFF MP Reneiloe Mashabela (woman) was held down by 7 police and beaten in the face. Picture Henk Kruger/Cape Argus

150213. Cape Town. EFF leader Julius Malema says the nation has witnessed racism last night during the SONA. He says the DA was allowed to make points of order while they ( EFF )were thrown out. Malema says that EFF MP Reneiloe Mashabela (woman) was held down by 7 police and beaten in the face. Picture Henk Kruger/Cape Argus

Published Feb 14, 2015

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Johannesburg -

National despair over the ugly scenes that played out during the State of the Nation address had little effect on politicians - who remained full of war talk on Friday - setting the scene for a repeat performance.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said his party would do the same “if we get an opportunity to do what we did on Friday”.

He said when President Jacob Zuma returned to Parliament for a scheduled oral question session on March 11 “he will find us”.

“Fireworks. He must know that. We are waiting for him again. Every time he comes here he must fetch those 100 people (security who removed EFF MPs).”

Signalling that the EFF would not let up even if Zuma agreed to pay back some of the money on his Nkandla home, as directed by the public protector, Malema said this would make his party “very happy” but it would mean the president had admitted to benefiting unlawfully from the security upgrades.

“That’s the next step,” Malema said.

“What happens when the president admits he has benefited unlawfully - he must step down.”

ANC caucus spokesman Moloto Mothapo said anyone who tried to disrupt Parliament “will be dealt with in such a manner as those people were dealt with”.

“If they dare do what they did, the same approach will be used. We’ll encourage the presiding officers to apply their powers,” said the party’s deputy chief whip, Dorries Dlakude.

Zuma said South Africa had a “unique” and “very exceptional” democracy.

“In our democracy, authority is not understood because our democracy is extraordinarily user-friendly.”

But Parliament had “a problem” and needed to stand up to it.

“Parliament must stop the agenda… deal with unruly members. This Parliament has a problem. This Parliament must stand up to stop the problem,” Zuma told guests at the SABC/New Age post-State of the Nation breakfast briefing.

“I thought the presiding officers were excellent, but the people were not prepared to listen,” Zuma said.

Referring to the calling of the security forces into the chamber to remove the EFF MPs, the president said: “Dishonourable MPs burn down Parliament. We say police can’t come?”

The handling of the situation was in accordance with the law, the ANC insisted.

“Even criminals, hardcore criminals, whenever they appear in court, they respect the court. Even in your own house, you have rules… They (the EFF and DA) don’t care about the country as long as they get free publicity,” said Dlakude, describing the parties as “media butterflies”.

But the DA put the focus on Parliament’s presiding officers, National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete and National Council of Provinces chairwoman Thandi Modise, calling for their removal over the chaos in the House.

DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane accused Mbete of collaborating with security forces, and representing the ANC rather than all elected public representatives. “This was not a haphazard operation. It was planned with military precision by the security forces in direct collaboration with the Speaker,” he said.

Malema said his party would lodge papers next week seeking a similar order from the Constitutional Court and would also ask for the beating of MPs to be declared unlawful. The EFF would encourage MP Reneilwe Mashabane, who it said had sustained a broken jaw in the melee, to sue Parliament as it had a duty to protect MPs.

The SACP was equally belligerent.

It said the “proto-fascist party of the most corrupt tenderpreneur, the plunderer of Limpopo, who has become a willing extension of anti-majoritarian conservatives of white privilege, has been at the centre of the despicable acts”.

The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) said it believed a number of constitutional transgressions had happened.

These included the jamming of the cellphone signal, that the EFF had abused parliamentary rules and convention and thus violated other MPs’ right to freedom of speech and the removal of all EFF MPs when only four had actually spoken.

Casac executive secretary Lawson Naidoo said there must be an urgent investigation into the identity of the security officers called in. If there were any police or state security staff involved it would be a “serious transgression” of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act.

Parliament remained silent until Friday afternoon: In a 230-word statement it announced Secretary to Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana had been asked to investigate two incidents - the “problems with cellphone connectivity” reported from the media gallery and the brief “malfunction” of the microphone at the podium when Zuma tried to resume his address.

Meanwhile, the presiding officers would consider “appropriate action” over events which led to the EFF’s removal. The presiding officers undertook to “work harder with political parties to ensure the incidents witnessed do not recur”.

Saturday Star

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