The DA leader was forcibly removed from the North West Provincial Legislature sitting today after he protested when according to the DA, the Speaker  again denied them their right to participate in proceedings.  The EFF followed the DA by walking out.

According to the DA all motions and member statements were unilaterally removed from the Order Paper by the ANC Chief Whip, Hofman Galeng.

Jacqueline Theologo, DA NW Chief Whip said “we asked for intervention based on Rule 114 of the NW Provincial Standing Rules. This rule allows for the scheduling of the programme prior to sittings by all parties involved, but the removal of items from the order paper were never discussed when the committee met on the 15 April.

“The Sergeant of Arms was called in to remove the DA Leader, Joe McGluwa, when we stuck to our point and tried to protect democratic processes. The DA can assure our communities that we will not be intimidated by the ANC and will stop at nothing to ensure the Legislature remains transparent. It is the right of voters to have the public representatives they elected to act on their behalf on issues that impact their daily lives”, Theologo said.

“The sitting, scheduled for various Departments to debate budget votes just became another case where the ANC Government blatantly ignored the rules and enforced their own agenda by sheer numbers,” she said.

According to Rule 46 (3) of the House rules, parties are allowed to rise and extend condolences and congratulations or address important issues of the day in member statements.

The DA said when they requested the Speaker to overrule the ANC Chief Whip’s decision, the Speaker responded that the House agreed with Galeng’s advice and that statements would only be allowed again after the Local Government Elections in August.