admin
CAPE TOWN — EFF leader Julius Malema caused a stir in the National Assembly yesterday as he made his maiden speech as a member of parliament. It took only a few minutes before Malema raised the ire of a fellow MP, who interrupted the fiery politician’s response to President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address. It was to be the first of at least four objections raised during Malema’s brief oration, which was peppered with stinging criticism of the ruling party.
Perhaps the most tense moment arose when the chairperson of the session warned Malema not to refer to factional battles in political parties.
Malema responded stubbornly: “You are not going to tell me, Chair, how I must debate. I can’t be told what to say.”
Malema’s first transgression yesterday was failing to refer to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa with the customary “honourable”.
An ANC MP raised an objection with Modise and Malema complied.
Soon after that Malema was taken to task for implying that the ANC government was responsible for a “massacre” of miners who were shot and killed in Marikana in the North West in 2012.
He also clashed with MPs after a series of controversial statements, including that all white people should speak an African language and that a statue of Afrikaner leader Louis Botha overshadowed that of former president Nelson Mandela. — eNCA
derick.khumalo