President Jacob Zuma’s reply on Tuesday to the State of the Nation debate was marred by a dispute between the Deputy Speaker, Nomaindia Mfeketo, and Congress of the People (Cope) MP Mluleki George, which resulted in the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Cope leaving the National Assembly in protest.
Allegations of swearing by opposition members also emerged. However, the Mail & Guardian could not confirm the ANC’s statement that DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard “hurled an F-word at the ANC MPs and the deputy speaker as she left the house during the walkout.”
After Zuma’s Parliament reply on Tuesday, which was received with more enthusiasm by MPs than his State of the Nation address, Mfeketo ruled that a comment by George during his speech in the debate on Monday was out of order and should be withdrawn.
George said on Monday: “It appears the nation is deliberately led to lawlessness with absolutely no morals and respect for its people. The first nine months of the current government under President Zuma has been characterised by despondence, infighting in government, poor people becoming poorer.”
On Tuesday Mfeketo ruled George’s statement to be “offensive” and offending the dignity of the president.
No offensive language?
However, Cope argued that both these reasons are invalid because George used no offensive language and he did not aim his comments at Zuma directly.
Mfeketo had to face a barrage of questions from opposition parties when all Cope and DA MPs left the house, with Cope MP Anele Mda making shower signs to ANC MPs as she walked out.
Several ANC MPs defended Mfeketo’s decision in the chamber, including Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga and Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
Mfeketo conceded the rules on which her ruling is based may be problematic, but said it should not be discussed in the chamber but in the rules committee of Parliament.
“I cannot have a situation when I am chairing a meeting and make a ruling and have a member of this house say he or she cannot withdraw,” she said.
Cope MP Juli Killian disputed this, pointing to the rulebook, which says that a ruling may be discussed in the National Assembly if the MP feels he or she was misunderstood.
“Mfeketo’s ignorance for the rules shows an abuse of power,” Killian told the Mail & Guardian outside the chamber.
Temporary absence
Walkouts of this nature are only valid for a single session of the house, therefore both parties will be back in the chamber on Wednesday to hear the budget speech by the Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
Chief whip Motshekga reacted with fury to the incident.
“They are trying to make Parliament unworkable,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ANC said in a statement soon after Tuesday afternoon’s incident: “There is absolutely no justification for such unruliness and vulgarity — no matter how much you disagree with your political opponents. The office of the chief whip will ask Parliament to consider taking action against this particular MP [Kohler Barnard] to ensure that such conduct is not repeated again.”
African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth Meshoe told the M&G his party refrained from walking out because they felt Cope was being “disobedient”.
“Since 1994 the tradition was when the speaker makes a ruling, you obey the speaker. If you want to, you can take it further in the rules committee. But to just disobey? We have difficulty there.”
No nationalisation policy
Meanwhile, in the course of his reply on Tuesday to Monday’s State of the Nation debate, Zuma departed from his speech to emphasise that nationalisation is not government policy, after a prolonged campaign by the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL).
Zuma said: “We reiterate that nationalisation is not government policy.
“We have noted that political formations, including the ruling party’s youth league, have decided to debate the matter.
“This is a democratic society and as government, we cannot stop political formations from deciding to open a debate on this topic or any other.”
Zuma said it had been past governments, not his, that had banned “certain political discussions”.
“What members should do in an open democratic society, if the president of the youth league, Julius Malema, raises the issue of nationalisation, they must raise their counter-argument to him if they want to debate it, instead of saying to government ‘stop him, make him keep quiet’.
“This [is] democracy, he has views, the ANC Youth League has views. ANC Youth League has always had views,” Zuma said.
“Debate the views of Malema, and don’t confuse a debate raised to policy of government.”