Share

Mngxitama walks out of Parliament after argument with EFF MP

Former EFF MP Andile Mngxitama walked out of Parliament yesterday after a brief verbal fight with his erstwhile comrades during a parliamentary meeting where members of the public and interested groups were making submissions on the proposed Expropriation Bill.

It was always going to be awkward for Mngxitama to return to Parliament. He was kicked out by the Economic Freedom Fighters earlier this year after he and fellow rebel leaders accused the party’s leadership of fraud and corruption.

The party did not only remove him from his parliamentary seat, it expelled him from its ranks.

Yesterday morning, Mngxitama returned to parliament to make a submission on the bill, which would provide for the expropriation of property for a public purpose or in the public interest.

Mngxitama – who was representing the Sankara School of Policy and Politics – gave a typical, emotionally charged speech that, almost word for word, mirrored the EFF’s position on land and land reform.

Mngxitama had brought with him an associate from the Sankara school, Ncedisa Mpemnyama, who began the presentation by stating that section 25 of the Constitution was a key section, and defined state policy on land.

Mpemnyana said this section of the Constitution legalised “land theft” and legitimised colonialism and that those who negotiated this compromise at the time said it was a tactical move to gain power without too much blood being shed.

“The logic was that, after power was secured, land would be returned. The section therefore was never about redistributing land but about securing political compromise.

“Twenty-one years after democracy, we know that the compromise has been very bad for the black majority. This section has rendered our people landless in our own land,” he said, describing the section as “a yoke on the necks of our people and shackles on feet and hands”.

Mngxitama took over, saying the committee must have the courage “to acknowledge the truth that all land in South Africa is stolen property”.

Mngxitama requested that Parliament completely delete section 25 and that the ANC should show courage by accepting the EFF’s offer of its 6% in the National Assembly to ensure the ANC had a two-thirds majority, which is a requirement to amend the Constitution.

The new amendment would state that all land in South Africa was stolen, he said.

The EFF had made this offer before, on several occasions and in different platforms.

He also spoke about how land was stolen “by settlers”, saying that the government should not be buying and paying for land that was stolen in the first place, but should expropriate without any compensation.

Mngxitama warned MPs that if the ruling party and the ANC government did not show the courage to take the land without compensating the landowners, the people would rise and do it themselves.

“If you lack the courage to do so, the people have lots of courage. If you don’t want to decide on this matter, the people will decide,” he added.

He also suggested that the government should call for a referendum, where he said they would ask South Africans: “Do you want to pay for stolen land: Yes or No?”

Democratic Alliance MP James Masango was the first to quiz Mngxitama.

“He is just saying the same things that the EFF is saying, but he left the EFF. He should have just assisted the EFF and they could have carried on with their ideology there,” Masango said.

EFF MP Sam Matiase jumped in on a point of order, saying it was wrong of Masango “to implicate the EFF in a presentation of an independent citizen who came here on his free will to represent his constituency or organisation”.

A number of MPs from the United Democratic Movement, African Independent Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party asked Mngxitama to explain his comments on land theft, asking who the land thieves were, when, how and from whom they stole the land.

Another EFF MP, Marshall Dlamini – who arrived after the discussions with Mngxitama were completed – warned the “Sankarian group” for offering the EFF’s 6% to the ANC, saying they don’t have the mandate to do so.

A tit-for-tat argument ensued, with Mngxitama arguing that the offer was in the public domain, and he dared the EFF to tell the nation whether they were withdrawing their 6% offer.

Things quickly escalated with Dlamini referring to Mngxitama – who raised a number of points of order – as a non-entity.

Committee chairperson Ben Martins tried, but could not contain the fight.

At this stage, Mngxitama announced that he would “not sit and listen to this man”. He left.

**This story has been updated since its first publication. 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
42% - 396 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 557 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE