Premier Helen Zille gives her speech in response to the debate on her State of the Province Address to nearly empty opposition benches following a walkout. Premier Helen Zille gives her speech in response to the debate on her State of the Province Address to nearly empty opposition benches following a walkout.
Cape Town - Premier Helen Zille’s final days in the provincial legislature have been marred with heckling, walkouts and even complaints involving her husband.
The legislature has been agitated since Zille’s State of the Province Address, a debate on her speech and her response. While there has been plenty of drama in the house, the focus seems to have shifted to an exchange between Zille’s husband, Professor Johann Maree, and members of the ANC at the legislature last week.
The ANC staged a walkout halfway through the premier’s speech. An altercation occurred between some in the ANC and Maree.
This resulted in ANC MPLs Trudy Dijana and Nobulumko Nkondlo making an official complaint to Speaker Sharna Fernandez on Maree’s conduct.
Both members allege that Maree verbally abused the female members of the ANC. They also claim that Maree contravened sections 7 and 11 of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislature Act by participating in proceedings. The pair accuse Fernandez of condoning his behaviour by not having him removed as required by the rules.
“Mr Maree was shouting and pointing his finger at me as I walked out of the chamber. He shouted ‘You are very rude and you lot don’t have respect.’ Puzzled by his attack, as I could not recall having any direct engagement with him,” read Nkondlo’s letter.
Nkondlo said in her letter that she required a public apology from Maree and action from the speaker’s office.
On Friday DA Chief Whip Mark Wiley announced that the party had also laid a complaint with the registrar relating to utterances allegedly made to Maree.
“During this withdrawal some of the ANC members turned on Professor Maree, who was sitting in the chamber in the speaker and premier’s private seating area.
“It was alleged that Prof Maree was a ‘f***king old white man who stole our land’. And the word ‘voetsek’ was also alleged to be heard. I can confirm that affidavits have now been lodged with the registrar and the matter will now follow a prescribed process.”
Thursday’s sitting quickly became heated. Speaker Fernandez frequently reprimanded members for unruly behaviour and the ANC accused Fernandez of being biased.
It wasn’t long before Fernandez requested leader of the ANC Khaya Magaxa to leave the house, who was quickly followed by the rest of his party. The EFF’s Bernard Josephs cut a lonely figure in opposition benches.
Zille highlighted the work the DA-led government had done in creating jobs in the province as a sign of redress in the province and lambasted the ANC for creating chaos in state-owned entities.
The ANC criticised Zille’s speech, saying it was more of the same.
“All she did was to attack the system nationally and we were heckling her and questioning, doing our job,” said Magaxa.
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