Johannesburg - The EFF says it will waste no time removing its three expelled members from their seats in the National Assembly, despite a court application challenging the legitimacy of the party’s leadership.
EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee said on Sunday that the party’s decision to expel them, in line with the country’s constitution “automatically” disqualified the members as MPs.
This could see the MPs losing their hi-tech state equipment, free flights and a R933 852 annual salary package.
Gardee said the pending high court application, challenging the party’s inaugural elective conference in December had no bearing on the expulsions of MPs Andile Mngxitama, Mpho Ramakatsa and Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala.
A fourth MP, Lucky Twala, received a three-year suspension, suspended for one year, on condition that he doesn’t break any party rules.
The four faced 21 charges ranging from not attending this year’s State of the Nation Address, giving “misleading information” about the party to the public, and bringing the organisation into disrepute.
The party announced their expulsions at the weekend, following a disciplinary hearing.
Gardee referred to Section 47 of the constitution, which states that a person loses membership of the National Assembly if that person “ceases to be a member of the party that nominated that person as a member of the Assembly”.
“This thing is automatic. It’s not negotiable. The party has taken a decision that they are expelled. The next thing is that the party will inform the Speaker and then the Speaker will ordinarily oblige,” he said.
The party’s chief whip and deputy president, Floyd Shivambu, would be in touch with the Speaker of Parliament, Baleka Mbete.
“The Speaker must be notified whether there are people who have lost membership. So the speaker will definitely be informed of a loss of membership of a party by serving members,” Gardee said.
He said the party would hold a follow-up media briefing this week.
On the pending court case, he said this should be allowed to run its course. “But there’s a difference between court processes and party internal processes,” he said.
Ramakatsa dismissed the expulsions and Saturday’s announcement as a “publicity stunt”.
“The problem with the ‘so-called leadership’ of the EFF - I’m saying ‘so-called’, because their legal standing is contested in the high court - is that they think that they are above the South African constitution and judicial system,” he said.
“But this matter, in our opinion, is sub judice and the constitution of the EFF and its structures are not above the constitution of South Africa.”
He said both sides should wait for the court to make its decision.
“They aimed to scare members of the EFF that should we differ from them, they will have a way of dealing with them (dissenters),” Ramakatsa added.
Political Bureau