Newly-appointed ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.
Former president Nelson Mandela would have been embarrassed at the recent events in Parliament, ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
“I am sure that our highly disciplined Madiba was going to be embarrassed in seeing the disorder, loss of the decorum and respect in our Parliament,” he was quoted as saying in a statement from the KwaZulu-Natal ANC.
“What we have seen in the recent past is not representative of what Madiba stood for and fought for. We are now called upon to ensure that there is order and respect for one another in Parliament.”
Ramaphosa was addressing ANC members in the Empangeni town hall, in Empangeni, north-east of Durban.
Campaign to weaken the ANC
He said the ruling party was concerned that various political parties had embarked on a “well planned campaign to weaken the ruling party by attacking its leadership”.
Ramaphosa said ANC members should be alert and ensure that the campaign did not “achieve its intended goals”.
Mandela died at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, on December 5 last year.
EFF Suspensions
On November 27, the National Assembly adopted a report calling for the suspension of 12 Economic Freedom Fighter MPs. The report recommended that EFF leader Julius Malema, EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu, Godrich Gardee, Mpho Ramakatsa, Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi be suspended without pay for 30 days.
Fellow EFF MPs Elsabe Louw, Ngwanamakwetle Mashabela, Nthako Matiase, Hlengiwe Maxon, Magdalene Moonsamy and Andile Mngxitama, are to be suspended for a fortnight. Eight more EFF MPs were ordered to submit a verbal apology to the House.
The party has indicated it will not tender any apologies for the August 21 incident in which President Jacob Zuma’s question time in Parliament was disrupted when EFF MPs chanted “pay back the money”.
They were referring to public protector Thuli Madonsela’s report, which stated Zuma should pay back a portion of the R246-million spent on so-called security upgrades at his private Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal.
Earlier in November, two Democratic Alliance MPs then addressed Speaker Baleka Mbete as the “chairperson from Luthuli House” a reference to her other role as ANC chairperson, which the opposition says undermines her independence – though they rapidly withdrew the comment.
Rampahosa met with opposition parties in November to discuss events that included he fact that the live feed from the chamber was cut when the police entered. On Sunday, Ramaphosa said the ANC wanted to see a “militant and united ANC Youth League”.
“We want to see the ANCYL united so that it can better champion the interests of young people,” he said.
“We will continue assisting the ANCYL to rebuild its structures and that will be done without interfering in its business. We are confident that we will soon have the ANCYL that is disciplined and able to deal with political and economical issues that affect our young people.” – Sapa