Should the Economic Freedom Fighters disrupt the parliamentary debate next week, the ruling party will encourage the presiding officers to deal with them the same way as they did during the State of the Nation Address.
So says ANC deputy chief whip Dorris Dlakude, who was speaking at a press conference in parliament today.
Repeatedly calling the EFF “hooligans” and the Democratic Alliance “Hollywood wannabes” who only walked out to hog media attention, she commended the presiding officers and the Parliament security services for evicting the EFF during the Sona.
Dlakude said the party was proud of their presiding officers and their conduct last night and that MPs had a right to be protected and to feel safe in the chamber, referring to media reports that EFF’s Floyd Shivambu had warned that next time they would be armed.
“If they dare do what they did, the same approach will be used. We will encourage the presiding officers to apply their powers in protection of the democratic government of this country. There is nothing wrong with that. The very same hooligans who call themselves members of Parliament are the ones attacking Parliament security. They used their hard hats and threw their bottles of water. We saw it first-hand.
“So this is what will happen to them again if they dare try the same thing, they will face the same action. In fact, we are glad that presiding officers take threats seriously and make sure they protect the democratic rights of this government,” Dlakude said.
She said the disgraceful antics of the EFF and the DA were designed to embarrass the entire nation. “These despicable acts of anarchy represent one of the most direct attacks on the prime institution of your democracy and the people it represents. It would be highly erroneous on the part of the EFF and its fellow travellers in the DA to think that this Parliament would fold its arms as rampant anarchy and thuggery undermine our hard-fought for democratic gains and democratic institutions.
“We have no doubt that both the Speaker [Baleka Mbete] and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces acted appropriately and within the rules and the law governing the business of Parliament… What the nation witnessed last night was the most provocative, damaging and lowest form of politicking, whose sole purpose is to render democratic institutions and a democratically elected government, unworkable.”
Dlakude said they had been threatened with violence many times by the fighters and it was the responsibility of the presiding officers to ensure the safety of all the MPs in the chamber, by not protecting “hooliganish behaviour”.
“We are all members of parliament, we all came here to serve the people and there are 13 parties represented here and all must be protected. We cannot allow a group of 25 people to hold this assembly captive. I don’t understand why they should be protected. My rights also have to be respected. I have a right to live and to serve, without fear.”
She said their members, who had all been made aware of the potential disruption by the EFF, had been instructed to remain calm and not engage should anything happen and preserve the dignity of the occasion.