CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa’s oral reply session in the National Assembly got off to a disruptive start on Thursday.
This saw members of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) protesting and leaving the house.
MK Party Chief Whip Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi raised a point of order before Speaker Thoko Didiza, arguing that Parliament could not continue with proceedings while Ramaphosa was facing impeachment processes.
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Mokoena-Zondi further cited a letter she had written to Didiza on the matter.
“We cannot continue today as business as usual while we have a President in front of us who's continuously living under the shadow and facing impeachment processes,” she said
EFF Chief Whip Nontando Nolutshungu echoed the MK Party’s concerns, saying they could not sit and listen to someone who "does not respect the Constitution", in reference to Ramaphosa.
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However, Didiza, while acknowledging the letter by MKP, maintained that the Q&A would not debate matters that fell outside the official agenda for the day.
She said notices and orders of the day had already been discussed and agreed to in the programming and in the forum.