The suspension prevents party leader Julius Malema and five other MPs from attending this week’s Sona and the budget speech later this month. (Photo by Ashraf Hendricks/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says the barring of its six suspended MPs, including party leader Julius Malema, from parliament during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address (Sona) on Thursday and from participating in other activities in the legislature this month will throw a wrench into its plans for the year.
Malema, deputy president Floyd Shivambu, secretary general Marshall Dlamini, as well as senior EFF members Vuyani Pambo, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and Sinawo Thambo were suspended from parliament after being found guilty of contempt and gross disorderly conduct for storming the stage while Ramaphosa was delivering his speech last year.
The month-long suspension, which ends on 29 February, prevents them from attending not just this week’s Sona and the 2024 budget presentation later this month, but also debate on the speeches and parliamentary committee meetings. EFF chairperson Veronica Mente said this would create logistical difficulties for the party.
“Once you are suspended from parliament, you will not participate in anything called parliament. Committees, public hearings, everything public. Parliament is open and it’s in full swing.”
Mente said the suspension of Shivambu, who is also the EFF’s chief whip and lead representative in the finance committee, meant he could not make representations in parliament on behalf of business people he had consulted ahead of the budget.
Not allowing Malema to participate in the post-Sona debate would also deprive the EFF of the opportunity to be represented by its leader, Mente added.
“It is important because once the president of the country, who is the president of the ANC, speaks, he needs to be engaged by other political party leaders who are going to then bring to the fore their own ideas and counter what the president is saying and provide the way forward for the country,” she said.
“We have six members that can’t participate. Our spokesperson is in the committee of communication that is currently having public hearings — very important public hearings on matters of national importance, including serious issues in the higher education sector.”
On Tuesday, in another bid to attend Sona, the EFF asked the Western Cape high court for an interim interdict to stop parliament from applying the joint rules of parliament. But the court dismissed this with costs.
In a statement issued by parliament, the court said the EFF “failed to provide any evidence to substantiate their claim that the amended rules were only adopted as a means to ‘target’ them”.
According to the rules, “no member will be allowed to interrupt the president when he makes his first speech at the opening of parliament after a national election”. The same will apply to Sona.
The party’s first attempt to overturn the sanctions was struck off the roll because it submitted documents late.
Mente said it would approach higher courts, up to the constitutional court if need be, to find relief from the sanctions.