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| Julius Malema speaks to reporter Jan Jan Joubert after being ejected |
Yet
when the EFF’s “commander in chief” was physically ejected from the National Assembly
by newly appointed “bouncers” on Wednesday, it was somewhat unexpected.
Perhaps
it was because it was “happy hour”, around 6pm. The parliamentary sitting was
about to wrap up. It had opened three hours earlier with rather hum drum,
defensive oral replies from a visibly overworked Deputy President Cyril
Ramaphosa. This was followed by equally average answers from the ministers in
the economics cluster.
The
sitting dragged on with a tedious bombardment of motions without notice. The
EFF repeatedly objected each one, unless they were the proposers. This is a new
trick that the cocky 6percent party has adopted as an up yours to the ANC and
opposition parties who approved the new rules to eject unruly MPs in July.
By
this time, Ramaphosa had long since vacated the house. The MPs benches were
half empty. All but one journalist had abandoned the gallery, some retreating
to their dingy offices at 100 Plein St to file while keeping half an eye on the
live television parliamentary broadcast. Others had gathered in the Old
Assembly for light relief, a send-off of the parliamentary rugby world cup
squad, hosted by the country’s deputy president.
It
was then that presiding officer Grace Boroto switched to unfinished business.
She revisited the session of August 13, where Malema had referred to Ramaphosa
as a murderer. Boroto ruled – quite rightly – that his comment was
unparliamentary and told him to retract. Instead, Malema repeated that
Ramaphosa was a murdererer, adding that he “must rot in jail”.
It
was obvious what was going to happen next. Reporter Jan Gerber captures it on video
Parliamentary
staff and journalists dashed to the National Assembly. Wily reporter Charl du
Plessis switched on his cellphone video camera as he found his way to the
Serjeant-At-Arms, Regina Mohlomi, who till recently had performed a ceremonial
role. Now she was issuing urgent instructions to former SAPS officers to enter
the house and remove Malema. Charl's video
“Do
you know what Malema looks like,” she asked the enthusiastic officers, hired
especially to deal with disruptive MPs in terms of Rule 53A.
The
giant doors opened and the officers moved in swiftly. They yanked out the EFF
leader, flanked by his loyal sidekicks.
Issued
with a five- day suspension letter, Malema is barred from the precinct until
Wednesday. The ANC issued a statement welcoming the decision. The EFF
challenged it. The DA, while backing the new rules, called for a review, saying
that Boroto escalated the tension and did not need to resort to rule 53A, which
was reserved for “gross disruptions”.
But
the necessity of having Rule 53A in the first place is a symptom of more
serious underlying issues. The circus that has characterised the fifth
parliament is moving into an even more contested phase - the precinct becoming
more secretive and militarised, the democratic space narrowing and the schisms
widening.
What
is going on in parliament is a microcosm of what is happening nationally.
Attitudes are hardening. Desperation, divisiveness and disrespect are growing,
Intolerance and mistrust are deepening.
At
the root of the decline is a vacuum in strong leadership and authority that can
be trusted. Amid the dirty scrum, there is a dearth of leaders with the
interests of the country, not their fiefdoms, at heart.
That
a proud and quite remarkable multiparty institution –a place to parle,
which means to talk – is at risk of being eroded of everything it has stood for
since 1994 is a crying shame.
* This article first appeared in Media 24 publications between 11 and 13 September.
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| Julius Malema speaks to reporters after being ejected. Pic Janet Heard |
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