- Police Minister Bheki Cele praised the police response in his state of the nation address on Thursday night.
- EFF MPs stormed the stage where President Cyril Ramaphosa was sitting.
- After the EFF MPs refused to leave the chamber, they were forcibly removed by police officers.
Police Minister Bheki Cele compared the disruption of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) by EFF members of Parliament on Thursday to the 1966 assassination of former Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd.
EFF MPs stormed the stage where President Cyril Ramaphosa was sitting during SONA on Thursday.
The party had prevented the president from speaking for more than 30 minutes at the start of his speech and he was eventually ordered to leave. Refusing to do so, the police forcibly removed the EFF MPs as they took the stage.
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Responding to questions about the use of force, Cele said: “Remember, we have a history in this country where the prime minister was assassinated on camera, so we’re not going to take any chances. Police have a constitutional mandate to prevent, to protect, combat any form of illegality, investigate, enforce the law and ensure the safety of the inhabitants, that is what the Constitution says”.
Cele expressed pride in the police response, saying they had to “do something that has never happened before.”
“We had to act, and [I] I’m so proud of the officers… and time and time again, [will] act the same if the same thing happens again.
When asked about the possible repercussions for the deputies, Cele directed the question to the presidents.
“We did our job and we will do it again to make sure people are protected, especially when people assault heads of state and presidents.”
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The president of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, called security when chaos ensued on the scene.
DA leader John Steenhuisen expressed concern about the presence of security forces. According to him, the actions of the heavily armed officers assigned to protect Ramaphosa were intimidating for the parliamentarians.
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said he had to “unfortunately, differ from Steenhuisen”.
He said:
Perhaps you do not understand the work and work of the presidential guard (Presidential Protection Unit). The EFF made a mistake by going on this stage and threatening the president. I want to congratulate the presidential guard.
In accordance with the Law on the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures, members of the security services may enter parliamentary precincts for the purpose of carrying out any police function only with the permission and under the authority of the president or president.
In addition, the law establishes that when there is immediate danger to the life or safety of any person or damage to any property, members of the security services may enter without obtaining said permission and act on the premises to the extent necessary. to avoid it. danger.
EFF members being removed for security at SONA.
AFP PHOTO: ESA ALEXANDER/PISCINA/AFP
“Any such action must be reported as soon as possible to the Speaker and the President,” the law says.
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, described the conduct of the EFF in Parliament as “shameful”.
“[They] they have no regard for conduct that puts South Africa in a positive light, and even when there is a national event that the whole world is paying attention to, they exhibit that kind of disgraceful conduct,” Pandor said.
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She said they would have to answer to the international community for their behavior.
“The international community was looking at what happened there. I’m going to have to answer about what’s going on, and all I’m going to say is, ‘we have members who don’t respect Parliament or the Constitution of our country,'” Pandor said. .
