Durban - The office of under-fire Speaker Baleka Mbete as well as the ANC in Parliament have not ruled out the deployment of the police in the National Assembly in the future, and will not hesitate to take similar steps against unruly opposition MPs who defy orders.
The ANC and Mbete came under severe criticism last week for the deployment of police clad in riot gear to remove a female EFF MP.
Thursday’s move, not seen before in democratic South Africa, saw police clad in riot gear enter the National Assembly to remove EFF MP Reneilwe Mashabela, who defied an order from presiding officer Cedric Frolick to withdraw her statement calling President Jacob Zuma a “thief”.
The pandemonium broke out on Thursday night, during a marathon sitting that saw MPs debate budget reports and the Nkandla ad hoc committee report late into the night.
The sitting came to a climax when things became physical after the police entered the chamber to remove Mashabela.
“The law says the presiding officer has the right to remove disruptive characters holding to ransom the business of the House. That is in the law,” said ANC caucus spokesman Moloto Mothapo. He said there had not been any “change in the applying of those laws” and that the “ANC has been very understanding” until now.
Mothapo said there was an “anti-majoritarian” tendency in which people “demonise the use of its majority”.
“Eleven million people voted for the ANC to pursue their agenda,” said Motapho.
He also brushed aside reports linking Zuma’s political overview during a national executive committee meeting in September to Thursday’s incident.
Zuma told the meeting that “we cannot and should not be bulldozed by noisy smaller parties”.
Mbete’s spokeswoman, Mandlakazi Sigcawu, paraphrased and quoted sections of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act to make her point.
“Sections four and 11 provide that the security services may enter upon and perform policing functions on the precincts with the permission of the Speaker or chairperson,” said Sigcawu.
EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi questioned how the police, acting on the orders of the ANC presiding officers, could “physically assault and remove a democratically elected female fighter who was unarmed and posed no threat”.
“The Parliament television services were further tampered with to hide the assault and violence on members of Parliament. They did this after many members of the media had left the House because they are cowards,” said Ndlozi. “This manipulation of the cameras in Parliament must also be understood as censorship.”
Ndlozi said by ordering police on EFF MPs, the ANC violated section 58 (1) of the constitution which stated that “cabinet members and members of the National Assembly have freedom of speech in the assembly and in committees, subject to its rules and orders; and not liable to civil or criminal proceedings, arrest, imprisonment or damages for anything that they have said in, produced before or submitted to the assembly or any of the committees”.
DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane said his party no longer recognised Mbete as the Speaker.
“Baleka Mbete lost control of the House and destroyed her credibility as the Speaker… Every time she presides over the House, the DA will only send its chief whip, deputy chief whip and those members participating in debates,” said Maimane.
The Mercury