Cape Town - The South African delegation to the Pan-African Parliament has criticised MPs from two regions after the session descended into chaos on Monday over the rotation of the institution’s presidency.
On Tuesday, National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo, who leads the SA delegation, condemned the actions of the eastern and western caucuses for not sticking to the AU principle of rotating the presidency.
Chaotic scenes were witnessed when lawmakers squabbled.
ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina was allegedly assaulted by another delegate. She said she would lay criminal charges against the person.
The continental parliament, which is in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, has been in session for the election of a new president.
Masondo said the behaviour of the eastern and western caucuses needed to be condemned.
He said they had been ignoring the Au’s advice to rotate the PAP presidency.
The southern and northern regional caucuses are the only ones that have not held the presidency of the continental parliament since it was established in 2004.
“The two caucuses have been using their majority in the continental parliament to ensure only their candidates occupy the presidency and, when the time comes to account, they use the same majority to shield them from accounting for how they spent the funds of the PAP,” Masondo said.
PAP’s protocol also provides for the rotation of the presidency.
Political Bureau