Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) who were charged with contempt of Parliament have argued that Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula acted illegally when she ordered their physical removal from the house.
The EFF MPs, including chairperson Ntombovuyo Mente, faced cross-examination on Tuesday in the Powers and Privileges Committee regarding their removal from the chamber in August of last year.
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Mente and two other EFF MPs were ejected from the chamber for disobeying the Speaker’s orders and disrupting the sitting. The disciplinary hearing for these MPs continued on Tuesday in Parliament.
During the hearing, EFF MP Ntombovuyo Mente was questioned about her refusal to obey the Speaker’s orders during the sitting. Mente argued that the rules were not applied fairly and criticized Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for failing to explain the specific accusations against her.
She stated, “I have no obligation to stand up in the house and take illegal and unlawful instructions from the Speaker. The conduct of the Speaker on that day was very much illegal because she ought to have asked what it was that I had said.”
The National Assembly Secretary, Masibulele Xaso, testified earlier in the committee, stating that the Speaker had simply applied the rules on the day and had not acted emotionally.
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