‘Don’t tell us what to wear,’ EFF tells Parly

Cape Town — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) would not agree to wear “business attire” only in Parliament — and the party wants the parliamentary dress code rule under review to be scrapped.

At a rules sub-committee meeting yesterday, EFF MP Sam Matiase, dressed in his party’s signature red overalls, said a new rule on dress code should not even be considered as parties were not in agreement on what was appropriate dress.

Speaking at a meeting to address some of the outstanding issues on reworking parliamentary rules, Matiase said the African National Congress (ANC) was repeating the mistakes of the apartheid regime in changing rules of the house.

“What is it that disturbs the ruling party about the choice of members of the public and MPs in how to dress? The rule must be rejected and the EFF rejects this rule and we want to put it across. This rule will not go unchallenged,” he said.

Matiase said they would defiantly wear whatever they wanted in parliament. “Government and the ANC can’t prescribe to us how to dress. Unless this has become the company of the ANC where they impose dress code?” he asked.

All parties will make suggestions and presentations to the full rules committee on dress code when it next meets. Matiase said they would not even be making a submission as they did not believe in the rule.

Committee chairperson Richard Mdakane said parties who did not agree were free to take the matter to the highest court. — AFP