Democratic Alliance chief whip Douglas Gibson called on Tuesday for the immediate release of Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change MP Roy Bennett and the suspension of links with Zimbabwe while Bennett is in prison.
Giving notice of a motion in the National Assembly, Gibson proposed the House take note of the effective sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment, with labour, imposed by the Zimbabwean Parliament upon Bennett, because of a scuffle in the Zimbabwean Parliament.
Bennett pushed Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who had alleged Bennett’s ancestors were ”thieves and murderers”.
Gibson said Bennett made a full and sincere apology to Parliament, but despite this, ”Parliament, sitting as a court without the possibility of leave to appeal, imposed a sentence which can only be described as grossly disproportionate, vindictive and an abuse of power”.
The House should further note the South African Parliament witnessed ”fisticuffs some years ago” between MPs Johnny de Lange (African National Congress) and Manie Schoeman (then DA, now ANC).
They had to apologise to Parliament and were suspended for one day in the one case and five days in the other.
Tuesday’s motion called on South African diplomatic representatives and the Department of Foreign Affairs to convey to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ”the dismay of the National Assembly at this turn of events”.
It requested the Zimbabwean Speaker and Parliament to reconsider the sentence and to impose a penalty appropriate to the offence, and called for Bennett to be released from prison immediately.
It also called on, among others, the secretary general of the United Nations, the secretary general of the Commonwealth, the chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement, the president of the Pan African Parliament, the chairperson of the African Union, and the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community to communicate their dismay and disapproval of this persecution of an MP.
Gibson’s motion also called on all democratic Parliaments in the world to refuse to have links with Zimbabwe while Bennett is held in prison. — Sapa