PARLIAMENT – The Economic Freedom Fighters said on Wednesday they would never allow President Jacob Zuma to address the National Assembly without disturbance after they were again physically removed from the chamber, this time for trying to prevent him from delivering his budget vote address.
The EFF is the only Organisation and Political Party that doesn't egg-walk around corrupt practices and deeds. We'll bring Zuma down!
— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) May 4, 2016
“Parliament is the institution that must hold Jacob Zuma accountable and he has been found to have acted outside the law and Parliament is not doing anything about it,” EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu said after all the MPs from the party were hustled out of the house.
“We will never allow to be addressed by a criminal, we will never allow to give money, a budget to a criminal who is just going to abuse that money for his own self enrichment and the promotion of his family… Jacob Zuma will never find peace in the presence of the EFF.”
@MmusiMaimane the issue was,we can't be addressed by Zuma because we don't recognize him. Whether today or tomorrow,the principle remains
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) May 4, 2016
The EFF’s objection stems from the Constitutional Court ruling which found he had violated the country’s highest law by not following the directives of Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to pay back the money spent on his Nkandla homestead.
Earlier, Speaker Baleka Mbete ruled the party’s members out of order and had asked them to sit down as they jumped up one after the other demanding Zuma be prevented from taking the podium.
“Leave the chamber, Honourable Ndlozi,” Mbete eventually said to EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
Ndlozi shouted at Mbete: “Have I broken my oath of office? A person breaks the oath of office, you don’t order him to leave the House.”
Several other EFF MPs then tried to interject, but Mbete eventually called in parliamentary protection staff to physically remove the MPs.
EFF and Protection Officers rumble outside diffused. Angry EFF member shouts "they are dogs" . #PresidencyBudget
— Annika Larsen (@AnnikaLarsen1) May 4, 2016
The Democratic Alliance protested in different fashion. DA chief whip John Steenhuisen rose after Zuma concluded a lacklustre speech and said the president had “cocked a snook at this parliament” by smiling through a speech that failed to acknowledge the court rulings against him.
“The house is failing to hold this man to account, he’s a disgrace,” he said.
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