EFF REJECTS THE DANGER PAY FOR PARLIAMENT BOUNCERS

7 May, 2017

The EFF condemns the decision by the Speaker of National Assembly to pay parliament bouncers, known as the white shirts, an extra R400 for the supposed 'dangers at work'. In essence, Baleka Mbete is paying her professional hooligans, not only to remove members of parliament from the chamber, but also to do so as "dangerous work". 

In the first place, the EFF objected to the idea that there must be a unit whose job is to remove MPs from the chamber for the things that they say. What these professional hooligans do and exist for in parliament violates Section 58 1(b) of the constitution which states;

"...members of the National Assembly—

(a)  have freedom of speech in the Assembly and in its committees, subject to its rules and orders; and

(b)  are not liable to civil or criminal proceedings, arrest, imprisonment or damages

for—

(i)  anything that they have said in, produced before or submitted to the Assembly or any of its committees"

The spirit of this provision is to guarantee freedom of speech. Freedom from fear of intimidation, arrest or any violence that may lead to MPs not speaking their minds. By paying people to come and remove MPs for things that they say as "dangerous work" creates legitimate basis for fear, and thus, speech can no longer be considered to be free in parliament. 

Mbete is willing to take tax payers money and pamper the white shirts for assaulting MPs. In the process no care is given whatsoever to the injury of MPs, EFF women in particular who have been assaulted at the hands of Mbete's professional hooligans. 

This proves yet again that parliament is willing to do everything, including compensated violence, to suppress speech all because they truth do not want the truth. Mbete has created a situation where there is more freedom of speech outside parliament, in places like taxi-ranks, than there is inside parliament.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 7 May 2017