Parliamentary Committee Recommends EFF MPs Should Be Hit With Severe Penalties

• The Powers and Privileges Committee recommended that the Economic Freedom Fighters Members of Parliament be slapped with harsh penalties
• The Committee suggested that Sinawo Tambo, Natasha Ntlangwini and Mothusi Montwedi should be suspended for a month and not get paid for the same period
• They must also apologise for their conduct after they were removed from Parliament for disrupting President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address in 2022

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years. Do you have a hard news story you would like to share? Email tebogo.mokwena@briefly.co.za with CA in the subject line.

WESTERN CAPE – Parliament's Powers and Privilege Committee has recommended that the Economic Freedom Fighters MPs be slapped with severe penalties after they were found guilty of contempt of Parliament for disturbing President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address in 2022.

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Parliament to suspend members

The Committee recommended that MPs Sinawo Tambo, Mothuso Montwedi, and Natasha Ntlangwini be suspended from Parliament for a month, and their salaries should be withheld during that period. SABC News states their sanctions will come into effect on 1 April.

They also recommended that they apologise for their conduct. Montwedi, Tambo, and Ntlangwini are among the nine MPs who were found guilty of contempt for Parliament after disturbing Ramaphosa while he delivered his SONA speech two years ago.

Some South Africans agreed with the ruling

Netizens on Facebook stood on different sides of the fence. Some supported the decision Parliament took.

Xolani Hymnist Dywili said:

"EFF should desist from such disruptions. It's discomforting to see how EFF women are handled and pushed out of the house by the Parliamentary Protection unit."

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Zavi Mgema observed:

"Those disruptions are fun to watch, but they are an embarrassment."

Andile Duku added:

"The party itself should be defunct."

Others opposed the decision

Siphelele Lwandile Mtirara said:

"This is nonsensical. Just for calling Cyril Ramaphosa a 'money launderer.' People have been called names in Parliament."

Vuyo Mkwane said:

"This Committee should refrain from being used to fight political battles."

M Carter Mane asked:

"What about the corrupt people from the ANC?"

EFF failed to have the suspension lifted in time for SONA

In a related story, Briefly News reported that the Economic Freedom Fighters failed to have their suspension from Parliament lifted in time for the State of the Nation Address.

This was after the Western Cape High Court ruled that they would miss this year's SONA because of disrupting the SONA in 2022.

Source: Briefly News