Parly wants Malema, 5 other EFF MPs barred from attending 2024 SONA
The EFF MPs have been charged with contempt of Parliament after storming the stage during SONA in February and threatening President Cyril Ramaphosa.
CAPE TOWN - Parliament wants Julius Malema, his deputy Floyd Shivambu and four other Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MPs barred from attending next year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The disciplinary hearing of the six EFF MPs continued for a second day on Tuesday, where the initiator in the hearings made closing submissions before the powers and privileges committee.
The EFF MPs have been charged with contempt of Parliament after storming the stage during SONA in February and threatening President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The disciplinary hearing continued on Tuesday despite the EFF’s absence after they abandoned the hearings on instruction from leader, Julius Malema.
Advocate Anton Katz, the initiator in the hearing, was questioned by members of the committee on possible sanctions that could be imposed on the EFF and its leaders.
Katz said that a message must be sent out that SONA was a serious event and the members must be suspended for ten days, which will include the day of the SONA.
"So we submit that an appropriate sanction would be for those six affected members to miss out on SONA 2024 so that an appropriate sanction, 12.5G, suspend the affected members with or without remuneration for those ten days."
Katz said it was clear that the members did not take SONA seriously.
He also told the committee that the EFF, despite them walking out on Monday, had requested to make written submissions on the merits of the case before the end of business on Tuesday.
