SPEAKER INVOKES NATIONAL ASSEMBLY RULES TO SUSPEND EFF MEMBER
Parliament, 8 November 2014 - Certain news headlines have depicted the Speaker of the National Assembly as being partisan and irrational. The reports could not be further from the truth and highlight the need for not only our media but the general public to be well informed about Parliamentary processes and the manner of conducting debate in Parliament (see Witness report).
Taking into account the latest newspaper articles published on 7 November 2014, the EFF has further attempted to distract the media from the core business of the National Assembly, culminating in misinformation of the public.
The question that arises is, why was Honourable Mngxitama of the EFF this week suspended for a maximum of 5 days by the Speaker? The answer is simple and it is premised on parliamentary procedural requirements.
It is important to indicate that Honourable Mngxitama was not suspended for the motion of the EFF. The member acted in a disorderly manner, including acting in defiance of the presiding officer. When the member was ordered to withdraw from the House for this behaviour, in terms of National Assembly Rule 51, he refused, again disregarding the authority of the presiding officer. It was in light of this sustained unruly behaviour that the Speaker invoked National Assembly Rule 52 and suspended the member.
Did the Speaker lose it? No she did not. She was decisively following and accurately implementing the rules and orders of the National Assembly.