Watch: Jacob Zuma causes EFF and DA to walk out of KZN SOPA [video]
The EFF and DA took issue with the fact that there were several non-members sitting in the house for the SOPA speech, most specifically Jacob Zuma.
In a rare showing of solidarity between the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA), representatives of the two parties staged a walk-out of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) State of the Province Address (SOPA).
Protesting Zuma at KZN SOPA
They were protesting the presence of former president Jacob Zuma, who they argued should not have been allowed to be there as he is not a member of the house.
To make matters worse, Zuma was not alone. He brought his wife and an intimidating entourage of bodyguads. After the opposition parties protests to the speaker fell on deaf ears, they decided there was nothing left to do but walk out.
“The rules say that if a non-member is to be invited to the house, there must be a consultation among all the whips of all the parties. This time around there was never a consultation and we raised that issue,” EFF KZN chairman told the media outside.
“The speaker wants to bully us by claiming consultation was not necessary because they were not sitting in the chamber itself.”
The speaker of the house first claim consultations were held, which all opposition parties refuted, before going on to claim that it was fine because Jacob Zuma was not actually seated within the house.
“Yet we know she for a fact that she is lying. She is telling lies because the minute you enter those doors, on the floor, that is the chamber.”
“The definition of the chamber in terms of the rules is anything insider there, except the gallery where the media sits. She wants to bend the rules to fit their own narative.”
“So we’ve dismissed that and said we are not going to continue sitting in the house against the rules of this legislature because we are here to make sure that this unlawlessness and this arrogance of the ANC is put to an end.”
The walk out
We have restored the rule of law by walking out of chambers that deliberately undermine the rules and of the house. @EFFSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/Rlb59xoD41
— EFF KZN (@EFFKZN) June 28, 2019
