ActionSA says it will lodge a complaint with Parliament’s Ethics Committee against Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina, after she was filmed allegedly swearing at a resident with a disability in Kouga in the Eastern Cape.
ActionSA Member of Parliament, Malebo Kobe, says in a statement that Majodina’s conduct undermines the dignity of public office and brings Parliament into disrepute.
Backlash over Majodina comes just a week after Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero used profanities during a community meeting.
Morero has since apologised.
Political analyst Dr Dale McKinley gives his perspective on the issue: “Irrespective of being provoked, politicians should be prepared for these kinds of things. People are angry, people are frustrated. When you’re a politician, you sign up for this kind of situation, and there should be better than that. The line is: don’t use profanity. This is a very sensitive subject for many, many South Africans. So engage firmly, engage, and if you disagree, that’s fine, and you can do so and make your point. But when you use profanities, I think it basically takes it into a realm where people judge you for what you’re saying and not the content of your argument.”
