The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Parliament has been asked to leave the National Assembly after they tried to prevent Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan from delivering his department’s budget vote on Thursday.
Sergeant at Arms was asked to remove the EFF Members of Parliament after they refused to leave and surrounded Gordhan.
A scuffle then ensued between the EFF and Parliament security.
The Minister was able to commence his speech only after other ANC members of Parliament including protection services came to his rescue.
What action to take
Parliament is considering what action to take against EFF MPs who disrupted the House.
DA Chief Whip John Steenhuisen requested that the EFF be held to account for their actions. This was agreed by numerous other parties in the National Assembly.
“To prevent an elected member of this House from speaking and then not only doing that by exacerbating it by physically threatening the member is a gross violation of not only the traditions of parliament but the rules of the House. I’ll ask you House chairperson in terms of Rule 69 to refer all the members here, and I’m sure they’ll be able to be identified on the video camera to the appropriate forum and that they be charged with gross disorderly conduct in terms of the rules.”
The ANC in Parliament says the EFF’s behaviour cannot be tolerated anymore.
