The EFF now fears that Parliament will hold secret meetings to “smuggle in extra police officers” on Thursday night to “release violence on them” if their pres. Cyril Ramaphosa’s state speech would disrupt.
However, this party insists that its MPs will not be intimidated by it and that they will nevertheless continue to disrupt the proceedings, as Julius Malema, EFF leader, threatened on Sunday.
This is now if Ramaphosa did not fire Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan before the state speech.
The EFF’s allegations of increased security measures come despite National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise saying last Thursday that no extraordinary security measures have been taken for the state speech and that the parliamentary rules will apply just as with previous state speeches.
EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo said in a statement on Tuesday morning that the EFF had learned that additional security measures were being taken in secret.
According to Pambo, the arrogance of undermining the constitutional court and parliamentary rules with the alleged security plans so early in the sixth parliamentary term “to defend an indecisive and incompetent president” would only undermine the proper functioning of parliament. ]
“The ill-intentioned and foolish intent is to bring in black and white police officers, similar to those in the previous parliamentary term that the corrupt and incompetent ex-president. Jacob Zuma had to defend. ”
Pambo points out that it contradicts the joint rules that clearly stipulate that only the official staff and parliamentary protection services can remove MPs from parliamentary premises and not police members.
“Co-operating with the police is illegal and borders on constitutional delinquency by presiding officers.”
Any attempt to suppress opposition in parliament will provoke “decisive and radical” reactions, according to Pambo.
“If the presiding officers are involved in such conspiracies, they will undermine the Constitution and rules and lose control of parliament which they will never regain.”
However, Pambo said the EFF would not be intimidated and would hold the executive accountable in every way possible.
“The EFF is going to allow the state speech to continue as long as Gordhan is a minister. If Ramaphosa speaks, so will we. “
Pambo says Ramaphosa should be careful and not allow what he owes Gordhan to stop him from putting people and the economy first.
“If he continues to do so and adopt a lawless and criminal attitude, we will have no choice but to treat him like Zuma.”
