20 EFF MPs who disrupted Gordhan’s 2019 budget vote speech ghost Parly hearing
Twenty MPs face sanction after storming the podium in July last year to try to block Gordhan from delivering his budget vote address at a mini-plenary venue.
CAPE TOWN - Parliament’s powers and privileges committee on Tuesday postponed the hearings into EFF MPs who disrupted Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan’s 2019 budget vote speech.
The party's 20 MPs face sanction after storming the podium in July last year to try block Gordhan from delivering his department’s budget vote address.
It’s the second time EFF MPs face the committee after first appearing in 2014 for misconduct when the chanted “pay back the money” to former President Jacob Zuma.
On Tuesday, the matter was finally before Parliament’s powers and privileges committee after Parliament received legal opinion on the matter in September.
Parliament had initially identified 20 EFF MPs involved in the incident, but that figure is now down to 16 members.
The committee has however received a briefing from the Initiator appointed by Parliament that included correspondence between Parliament and the legal representative of the affected MPs.
The committee was informed that counsel appointed by the affected Members is not available today and can only be available on Wednesday.
But not before EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi criticised the process followed by Parliament.
“So, you are saying there is no matter of legal representation in front of us, but there is nothing in front of us. You have not read anything, people have written about this matter, those correspondences have not reached us.”
The accused MPs are now expected to make an appearance on Wednesday.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: EFF disrupts Gordhan in Parliament
