Share

Defiant Malema asked to leave Parliament

Cape Town - Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema was asked to leave the National Assembly on Thursday night, after refusing to withdraw a remark accusing the ANC of murdering mineworkers in Marikana.

Malema made the remarks during his maiden speech on day one of the State of the Nation debate on Wednesday.

"I have arrived at the conclusion that the statements made by honourable Malema are unparliamentary and do not accord with the decorum of this house," National Council of Provinces chairperson Thandi Modise said during her ruling at the end of Thursday's debate.

Modise said that while freedom of speech was allowed in Parliament, it was subject to limitations imposed by the constitution.

"The statement made by honourable Malema suggests that the government, which is made up of members of this House, deliberately decided to massacre people. This does not only impute improper motive, but also accused them of murder."

Modise then asked Malema to withdraw his remarks.

Instead of withdrawing, Malema replied: "Chair, when police reduce crime you come here and say the ANC has reduced crime. When police kill people, you don't want us to come here and say the ANC government has killed people. That is inconsistent, honourable chair."

Modise again insisted Malema withdraw his statement.

"I'm sorry, I won't do that," a defiant Malema said.

Modise said she had not alternative but to ask the fiery EFF leader to "leave the house".

Malema and his fellow EFF MPs started filing out of the house, but not before disrupting proceedings.

Several EFF MPs started switching on their mics and shouting accusations at both Modise and those in ANC benches.

"The ANC murdered people" and "you were the premier when people were killed" reverberated through the house, resulting in Modise asking ushers to escort the EFF members out of the chamber.

Watch:


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% - 364 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 500 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.90
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.1%
Platinum
908.75
+1.3%
Palladium
1,014.28
+1.3%
Gold
2,221.04
+1.2%
Silver
24.86
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.9%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.9%
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