BLAME the Democratic Alliance. The first sitting of the National Assembly of the Fifth Democratic Parliament was meant to have been a day where procedures fell in the "largely ceremonial" category. That is, millinery madness and eye-gougingly awful fashion - and really not much else.
First order of business was the swearing in of MPs. All eyes here were on the newbies, the 25 members of the Economic Freedom Fighters, all but one of whom were dressed in red overalls or domestic worker uniforms. But more of that later.
Then came the appointment of the Speaker of the National Assembly. This should have seen ANC national chair Baleka Mbete being appointed unopposed. This was the case when the greatly respected Max Sisulu got the job in 2009. And so there was great applause from the ruling party benches when ANC MP Pamela Tshwete nominated Mbete. Done and dusted, you'd have thought.
But no. The DA's shadow minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Annette Steyn, rose to nominate Nosimo Balindlela, prompting a wave of jeers from the ANC benches.
Balindlela seemed a good choice. The Speaker is tasked with ensuring an orderly flow of business and must act impartially to protect the rights of all parties. Given that she'd already been a member of several in her career, who could be more impartial than Balindlela? She had resigned as Eastern Cape premier in July 2008, and in November that year left the ANC to join the Congress of the People. Four years later she joined the DA. How long before she was running with the Effniks?
Nevertheless, she was a spanner in the works, and Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng called for a secret vote.