Johnathan Paoli
THE Western Cape High Court has rejected the EFF’s urgent application to force Parliament to allow its barred MPs, including CIC Julius Malema, his deputy Floyd Shivamb and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, from attending the State of the Nation Address (SONA) next week.
The EFF MPs were banned from setting foot in Parliament following their participation in a disruption of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2023 SONA.
In November, Parliament’s Powers and Privileges Committee ordered EFF MPs to apologise to Ramaphosa, National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Parliament and the public as well as having one month’s salary docked in February.
The party’s entire leadership have been suspended for the entire month of February in addition to being charged with a cost order by the court on Tuesday.
Judge Nathan Erasmus criticised the late filing of papers by the Red Berets, and said that it was their own doing, before he made his ruling.
“The application is struck from the roll. The applicants shall pay the first, second, third and sixth respondents’ costs of the application,” Erasmus said.
In addition, a dissenting judgment was made by Judge Daniel Thulare, who said the applicants raised novel and complex constitutional issues.
Other sanctioned MPs include Marshall Dlamini, Sinawo Tambo, and Vuyani Pambo.
EFF spokespersonThambo condemned the judgment on Tuesday and said it clearly indicated an attempt by the government to silence those seeking justice and accountability.
“This ruling underscores the suppressive nature of the executive’s attempts to stifle accountability and silence those who hold Cyril Ramaphosa accountable,” the party said.
The party said that the protest stemmed from serious allegations against the president regarding the discovery of large amounts of foreign cash in what has become known as the Phala Phala scandal.
It remained deeply concerned over the lack of adequate investigation and subsequent accountability regarding the discovery that was coupled with numerous illegal activities in attempts to recover what was stolen illicit currency, the EFF said.
Thambo said that it was evident that the ANC-led government was resorting to vindictive measures in order to silence opposition voices and evade accountability for their failures.
“The timing of this suspension, specifically choosing February 2024 to exclude our members from the upcoming SONA is particularly nefarious. This move appears to be a calculated attempt to ensure that Ramaphosa can deliver his final SONA without facing scrutiny from the EFF,” the spokesperson said.
The party said that despite the unjust actions, it wanted to assure the public that all EFF MPs attending this year’s event would continue to hold the president accountable for his failures, including unemployment statistics, rising crime rates, GBV and the Phala Phala farm scandal.
“If the highest institution tasked with safeguarding democratic principles is beholden to petty party politics, the very essence of democracy is at stake,” Thambo said.
The party said that in light of the unjust action and the need for justice, transparency and accountability in Parliament; it called on eligible individuals to register during the upcoming weekend in order to unseat the ruling party.
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