WATCH EFF Booted from Parliament Over Zuma Address

Parliament descended into chaos for a few minutes on Wednesday as the Economic Freedom Fighters tried to prevent President Jacob Zuma from addressing the assembly, despite warnings from the Speaker Baleka Mbete, who finally told the EFF to leave the chamber.

It was reportedly the first time Zuma had appeared in the assembly since two major court cases had gone against him, the Constitutional Court ruling that he had failed to uphold the constitution over the Public Protector’s Nkandla finding, and the recent High Court ruling to reinstate corruption charges against him over the so-called Spy Tapes.

The EFF had apparently sent a letter to Mbete saying that Zuma could not address parliament – he was to address the assembly on his budget vote – because he was no longer president. After a shouting match broke out, Mbete told the EFF to leave the chamber. When they did not, parliamentary protection officers came in and removed them – sometimes with small fights breaking out.

The Democratic Alliance chief whip John Steenhuysen said the DA wanted Zuma to speak and apologise to the nation over his breach of the constitution.

The video of the fuller version of the disruption, including the EFF and DA arguments about Zuma’s address:

https://youtu.be/mVXv3s3v-Kc

When it was his turn to speak DA leader Mmusi Maimane reportedly referred to Zuma as a thief, accused number one and looter in chief. Zuma, he said, also denied having anything to do with any of the charges levelled against him.

Maimane was quoted as saying about Zuma, “The Gupta landing at Waterkloof? ‘It wasn’t me’”; Al-Bashir’s escape? ‘It wasn’t me’; the millions spent on Nkandla? ‘It wasn’t me’; failure to comply with the Public Protector’s report? ‘It wasn’t me’; a R4bn luxury presidential jet? ‘It wasn’t me’; the push to sign off on a trillion rand nuclear deal? ‘It wasn’t me’; the Gupta brothers offering Cabinet posts? ‘It wasn’t me’; the crash of the rand following Nenegate? ‘It wasn’t me’.”