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Cape Town – Fix this House, President Jacob Zuma told National Assembly Speaker, Baleka Mbete, on Thursday.
“How can we expect people to respect us as lawmakers? Fix it,” he said, speaking off the cuff in the National Assembly.
Delivering his reply to the Presidency’s budget vote on Thursday, Zuma commented on what he viewed as unruly behaviour from some MPs.
He told Mbete he was happy with how she had handled proceedings in the House on Wednesday, when EFF MPs were once again physically and violently ejected after they refused to let him speak. Zuma was called a criminal, thief, and illegitimate leader.
More needed to be done, Zuma said. “You need to do more to bring this House into order.”
Order to the house
He said in his travels across the world, some people had complained to him that Parliament had changed their perceptions about South Africa.
"They are now saying we are influencing some of their people the wrong way. It would be very important that you bring this House into some order, for the dignity of the country," Zuma said.
He said all he asked for was for parties to talk about restoring Parliament’s dignity.
Mbete said she had heard the same issues from people, and that a meeting of the rules committee might have to be called to help find a solution.
She said they would invite IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi to the meeting, for his advice. The IFP was the only opposition party that attended Thursday’s sitting.
