Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) Leader Julius Malema, his deputy Floyd Shivambu and secretary-general Marshall Dlamini and three other party members of Parliament (MPs) have been banned from attending the State of the Nation Address (Sona) next year.
This follows the decision of the National Assembly to adopt the report of the Powers and Privileges Committee that recommended that Malema, Shivambu, Dlamini, Sinawo Tambo, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and Vuyani Pambo be banned from the Chamber from February 1 to 29.
This was after the six MPs disrupted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s February 9, Sona and stormed the stage.
At the time, Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula ordered security to intervene and remove EFF members from the stage.
Mapisa-Nqakula then referred the matter to the powers and privileges committee for investigation.
In its findings the committee, chaired by African National Congress MP Violet Siwela, found that all six members were guilty.
The initiator, advocate Anton Katz, had proposed that they be banned from Parliament for 10 days until after the 2024 Sona, on February 8.
But Siwela told the Chamber that the committee found that they need to impose a sanction of 30 days’ suspension from attending any Parliamentary activity. The EFF MPs will also be docked a month’s salary.
Siwela said the EFF members had disobeyed the instructions of the Speaker to stop disrupting Ramaphosa.
She said they agreed with the findings of the initiator.
“With respect to the penalty of suspension without remuneration the committee agreed by consensus that the suspension must be for 30 days starting from February 1 to 29, 2024 instead of the 10 days proposed by the initiator,” said Siwela.
She added that Malema and his five MPs will also have to apologise to Ramaphosa, Parliament and the people of South Africa in person.
IOL Politics