President Jacob Zuma will be writing to National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete on the “abuse” he has endured in Parliament, he said on Friday evening.
“… As the president who is treated in the manner I am in Parliament, I am going to write a letter to the speaker to raise my issue in some detail. What has been allowed to continue in Parliament should not have been allowed… Parliament must do something about it. It is not helping, it is not giving a good picture to other countries.
“To sit there and wait for insults, being called all sorts of names, that cannot happen,” he said.
Zuma was speaking to community radio listeners across the country simultaneously to unpack government.
He said African leaders were shocked by the behaviour displayed in Parliament.
“I meet heads of state in Africa who look at our television. They always ask what is happening to you guys. We are learning from South Africa. We are even learning how you are dealing with democracy, how could you fail us the way you do?”
Taking a swipe at the EFF, Zuma said the party did not know why it was in Parliament.
“If a party stands in Parliament to deprive people to get a report from the president is wrong. It also suggests that that party does not know why it is in Parliament. It does not even understand why people voted for them. Parliament belongs to the people, you can’t disrupt Parliament.”
He said the EFF was clearly coming to Parliament with an intention to disrupt proceedings and assault parliamentary security.
“I don’t think they should have allowed a party to come and disrupt the decorum of Parliament. It is clear now that they come wearing hard helmets to hit security in Parliament.
“I think those are matters we have to look at. Members of Parliament are sent by people so that people are able through them to get an account done by the executive.”
Fist fights broke out as Economic Freedom Fighters MPs were dragged out the National Assembly during the State of the Nation address. This came after a disruption by the EFF.
