Like the lights of an ambulance, the EFF and DA went into the parliamentary chambers in Cape Town last night at 7pm during the State of the Nation Address (Sona) with the purpose of warning South Africa about the emergency the country is facing.
Thandi Modise, the parliamentary chairperson, opened the proceedings by giving members of different political parties the chance to bring points of order to light.
The parties’ colours flickered red/ blue, red/ blue as each of them took their turn to bombard the chairperson with facts about President Jacob Zuma’s inadequacy to address the nation.
Julius Malema, leader of the EFF, pointed out that Zuma had appeared in front of a court where it was found he had broken the law. Malema said he had contravened the Constitution and therefore forfeited the right to address the nation in that chamber.
Photo: SABC
“We’ve all taken a vow to uphold the Constitution,” Malema said, “and we upheld it. You have defied the Constitution. You have led the country into a state of emergency.”
At this point, the EFF delegates in their red overalls set parliament on fire by refusing to sit down and keep quiet. Statements such as “You broke the law!” and “You are not fit to be president!” were uttered while the chairperson tried to calm the situation by shouting that she had already ruled on the matter.
Modise warned the EFF members three times before calling in the parliamentary protection services to evict them.
She then pressed a button on her table, and the audiences at home witnessed parliament in dead silence.
The parliamentary protection members, all dressed in white shirts, moved into the chamber to remove the EFF.
White/ red, white/ red … the shirts of the security guards and the EFF flickered like the lights of a fire engine, and with a huge eff-ort, they threw the red-clad delegates out.
The doors closed swiftly behind them and Modise announced that she would give the President the stage and let him speak.
The President stood up and started his address. However, it seemed that the chamber had suddenly acquired an echo as for every sentence he uttered, another sentence followed swiftly. The echo was not his own voice, but that of Musi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), who tried to talk over the President to make his own point clear.
Modise asked the President to sit down and gave Maimane the stage.
Maimane said, “Zuma has broken South Africa”.
After making his point, Maimane, like a law-abiding police officer, excused himself and his colleagues and they d-rifted a-way.
Once again, chaos erupted as the doors opened to reveal the white-shirted protection officers. Then the doors shut behind the DA and for a brief moment, all was silent.
Modise tried to continue, but another dissatisfied member of another party stood up. It was Mosiuoa Lekota, the leader of COPE.
“Before you chase me out too, please let me say this: Are we sacrificing all the principles that we fought so hard for?” he said. “I will also leave. You will remain alone in your dishonest presidency.”
The members of COPE felt they could not cope anymore and left the chambers too.
Their exit left the chamber in complete silence. After an hour of chaos, and among the wreckage, the President started his address with a chuckle. It was as if he was preaching to the converted as mostly ANC members remained. The green and yellow party seemed as calm as grass on a warm sunny day.
President Zuma summed up his successes of the past year in 5 000 words, but the man who was supposed to unite the nation, divided it by stating that transformation is not happening fast enough.
He spoke about Sanral, the cost of data, economic advantage to black females, the fight against crime and the farmers going through a difficult patch.
“South Africa is a safe and stable country where the Constitution is upheld,” Zuma said.
He even paid homage to Joost van der Westhuizen.
He ended his speech with a quote from Oliver Tambo, former president of the ANC: “We have it in our power to transform the country into a land for all.”
After the President’s speech, Modise apologised to the special guests as she had discovered they had been sprayed with pepper spray before the Sona started.
While ANC members were still safe inside parliament, emotions were flaring up outside as the media gave the EFF a platform to express their opinion about the gathering. The DA also had the chance to police the ANC by reiterating the President’s inadequacy to address the people of South Africa.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at krugersdorpnews@caxton.co.za or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister websites:
Randfontein Herald, Roodepoort Record, Get It Joburg West Magazine
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
