The National Assembly’s first female Serjeant at Arms, Regina Mohlomi, is effectively on retirement from 1 January 2020.
The National Assembly unanimously passed a motion to bid farewell and pay tribute to Mohlomi on the 21st of November.
Mohlomi retires after 23 years of service in Parliament. She is a former teacher and former National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) chairperson in Parliament.
Mohlomi became the first female Serjeant at Arms in 2011 to lead the President and presiding officers in the National Assembly into the Chamber.
In an earlier interview with SABC News in Parliament, Mohlomi recalled how she was confronted with scepticism about being a female Serjeant at Arms.
“You know people started to make an issue about a woman Serjeant at Arms and then I realised that in fact there were not many in countries even in South Africa. But there were not many countries or Parliaments where women were Serjeant-at-Arms and it was a big deal then. And what I saw here is an opportunity to try and influence young women, young girls to see that, today there is nothing so much a job that is meant for a man,” says Mohlomi.
One of her responsibilities is to carry a two-five kilogram mace into the National Assembly when she leads the procession into the chamber during every House sitting.
She reflected on how she had to handle the decorated ceremonial rod.
“When I first started with the Maze, I was even afraid to touch it because this is a very very important symbol of this House. I was even afraid to touch it because I was not used to it. I saw it at a distance. I just organised the cleaning with the service provider. That’s all,” says Mohlomi.
Mohlomi was faced with a different National Assembly in the 5th Parliament.
She has been called in several times to escort MPs out of the House after they refused to obey instructions from the presiding officers to leave the Chamber.
