EFF mANTASHE

Nazier Paulsen responds to Yunus Carrim’s speech in Parliament – Photo: Youtube screenshot / MyAfrica

EFF, Steenhuisen and ANC trade insults in chaotic Parliament session [video]

For a brief while on Tuesday, the house descended into madness. All sides of the political spectrum – from the EFF to “Little John” Steenhuisen – got involved.

EFF mANTASHE

Nazier Paulsen responds to Yunus Carrim’s speech in Parliament – Photo: Youtube screenshot / MyAfrica

There was a verbal royal rumble in the National Assembly on Tuesday, as politicians from all sides of the house turned on each other. It was perhaps no more chaotic than a usual session of Parliament, as stinging barbs and cutting insults flew across the chambers.

What made this different was that everyone seemed to pile into everyone else. One moment, the EFF was attacking the ANC. Then the ANC attacked the DA before the DA turned on the EFF. It was like a Mexican stand-off at one point, with all party representatives ready to draw and fire.

EFF, Steenhuisen and ANC kick off in Parliament

The madness ensued when Yunus Carrim of the ANC stepped up to give a speech on the Traditional Courts Bill. He started by saying the the EFF’s Nazier Paulsen doesn’t understand what’s happening. To which Paulsen replies with “I’ll moer you”. Great start already…

Carrim has long been the subject of an EFF campaign against him, where he’s been accused of everything from obstructing black workers from earning high-profile jobs in the Treasury, to being part of Pravin Gordhan’s “secret cabal“. He used his time at the podium to brand the EFF “racist”, causing more uproar.

Meet “Little John Steenhuisen”

Anyway, he wasn’t happy with just rubbing the red berets up the wrong way. Carrim then labelled John Steenhuisen as “The pompous Little John”. That riled up the DA chief whip, who said that the ANC member must act more “generously” given this will be “his last term in office”. Hit ’em on the counter, Little John!

There was just enough time for Naledi Pandor to steal the show, too. She rollocked her own party comrade for calling Steenhuisen by his Robin Hood-themed nickname. However, her response was laced with sarcasm, claiming that Carrim had misled the house because Little John “was tall and powerful”. We love this game…

Traditional Courts Bill passed into law

The Traditional Courts Bill was eventually squeezed through on Tuesday evening, following even more acrimony. The legislation was passed, regulating how traditional courts work in opposition to ratified legal ones. The move has been heavily criticised for removing an “opt-out” clause in certain cases.

The narrow vote was decided by the ballot of Grace Boroto. It lead a walkout from DA and EFF MPs, who collapsed the quorum in the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon, leaving it one member short of the necessary 201 MPs to the pass the bill before House Chairperson Boroto made her vote count.

Watch Parliament’s three-way argument here