/ 20 June 2006

MP ordered out of National Assembly for race remark

Freedom Front Plus (FF+) MP Pieter Groenewald said on Tuesday he would not withdraw a remark — accusing Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula of being a racist — and was asked to remove himself from the National Assembly.

This follows a recent clash in the assembly in which Groenewald accused the minister of undermining democracy. He also said the minister was a racist.

This itself followed Nqakula’s statement that those who complained about high levels of crime could continue to ”whinge” until they were blue in the face or ”they can simply leave this country”.

Groenewald said then that Nqakula’s remarks indicated he was a racist and he owed the house — the National Assembly — an apology. Nqakula had said that it was pertinent that the complaints always came from people with surnames like Jankielsohn — referring to the official opposition Democratic Alliance’s Roy Jankielsohn — and Ryno White and the FF+’s Groenewald.

On Tuesday Groenewald confirmed that what he had said was ”true”, therefore, he could not withdraw it. The chair of the house, Geoff Doidge, ordered him out of the National Assembly. — I-Net Bridge