During a parliament sitting, Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party (EFF), was removed from Parliament for refusing to retract a statement regarding the Marikana deaths. Malema said that deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa was a murderer and conspired with the African National Congress (ANC) elite to kill innocent people in the Marikana tragedy.
The incident at Marikana had caused many people to shed tears for the beloved brothers and sisters who died when the police opened fired and killed 34 miners. At that time, Ramaphosa was a major shareholder in the Lonmin mining company, and the EFF supporters are among others that believe the order to kill came from Ramaphosa.
Having Malema removed from parliament are signs of dictatorship from the ruling ANC. Malema was not a threat to security and the statement made was not intentionally insulting but rather an expression of freedom of speech. Malema raised the Marikana issue in an attempt to kick off a debate and find the truth.
The ANC responded to the political speech with security, and as Malema was not posing a security threat to parliament, this is an abuse of state power. The new parliamentary rules of South Africa are designed to bring order to the house, and it is apparent that the ANC and State are fused in these instances. There are rules everywhere and respect for the Constitution was blown into chaos. Malema apparently does not accept the finding of the commission of enquiry that investigated the Marikana killings.
The EFF are recognized for being forceful during parliamentary sessions and of engaging vigorously in a debate which is not the solution to resolving problems. Pointing fingers at leaders and name calling is disrespecting parliamentary codes of ethics. Freedom of speech does have limits, and there is a difference between saying someone is something versus accusing someone of something unless the person has previously been found guilty. Arrogance and stupidly do not mix well.
The ANC party does not like to be challenged and have run out of ideas. Instead of starting a debate, the ruling party resorts to violence. The EFF party is a real threat to the ANC powerhouse. The EFF party is a relatively new party and has grown in membership quite substantially over the past few years, causing the ruling party to lose support among South Africa voters.
Malema knows what the loyal supporters of the EFF party want to hear, and no doubt was using the Marikana incident to appeal to the South African public. It is rather unfortunate that the deceit is not apparent to the supports. Malema, the messenger of the EFF, was removed, however, the message delivered during the open question and answer session in parliament cannot be deleted. The way Malema was removed is similar to the way the Marikana miners were killed. It is all a strategy to implement dictatorship by turning South Africa into a military state. Floyd Shivambu, the Chief Whip of the EFF, said the removal of Malema was disgusting and inappropriate.
Sadly enough, black lives are just as cheap under the ANC as they were under the old South Africa apartheid system. The only thing that has changed is the skin colour of the oppressors. The ANC are insecure and sensitive to the real issues affecting the people of South Africa. The strategy of the ANC is to silence any critics while disruption and unproven accusations are the strategies of the EFF.
Opinion by Laura Oneale
Source:
News24 – Malema removed from Parliament for calling Ramaphosa a murderer
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