EFF STATEMENT ON SPEAKERS' REFERRAL OF EFF DEPUTY PRESIDENT TO DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE

20 April, 2017

The EFF notes that the Speaker of Parliament, Baleka Mbete has referred the EFF Deputy President, Floyd Shivambu to Disciplinary Committee of Parliament. The Speaker has done this in light of comments the DP uttered in a debate in parliament that:

A. Jacob Zuma will kill you [Zuma loyalists]

B. Zwane and van Rooyen were appointed by the Guptas.

The Speaker deems that these comments are unparliamentary and want the EFF Deputy President subjected to discipline for refusing to withdraw them. 

As the EFF, we unequivocally reject the Speaker's move as deliberate suppression of free speech in parliament. It is also an attempt to silence criticism of Zuma's cabinet reshuffle as dictated to by the Gupta family who are Zuma's business partners. 

In accordance with the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act and Section 58 (1) (b) of the Constitution Members of Parliament enjoy free speech in that they cannot be punished and "are not liable to civil or criminal proceedings, arrest, imprisonment or damages

for" the things they say in parliament. The Speaker, by referring the EFF DP to the DC for what he said during a debate violates the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act and seeks to create fear on parliamentary debates on Zuma. 

We reiterate that the EFF Deputy President was correct in his remarks: Van Rooyen was absolutely a Gupta appointee as Finance Minister and Zuma will indeed be using everything in his power, including killing all his critics who today keep silent within the ANC instead of challenging him. We believe that as they attempt to wake up from their long dogmatic sleep, Zuma will kill them because he is willing to do everything in his power to crush those who create barriers to his looting of state resources. 

The EFF is willing to go to the highest court in the land to defend free speech in parliament. We demonstrated this when we won the court case regarding CIC Julius Malema's remarks that "the ANC government killed workers in Marikana." We will also embarrass Mbete and her partisan rulings in relation to our Deputy President's recent remarks.

The EFF has repeatedly written to the Speaker to refer Jacob Zuma to a Disciplinary Committee and to initiate impeachment proceedings against him for violating his oath of office and lying to Parliament. The Speaker has, however, constantly refused to do so and the EFF was forced to resort to the Constitutional Court last month to compel her in this regard. 

This is clear evidence that Mbete is hellbent on exercising her duties as Speaker from the point of view of ANC National Chairperson; she is biased and only protects Zuma. 

This is why the EFF has been calling for her removal from the beginning of the fifth democratic parliament. Her decision to charge the DP of EFF is legally invalid and it is tainted with bias based improper political motives.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 20 April 2017