Cape Town — Just hours before the State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has announced that the party will be boycotting the event.
The decision comes after the Western Cape High Court dismissed the party’s application to allow six of their suspended members to attend SONA. Malema, Floyd Shivambu, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Marshall Dlamini, Vuyani Pambo and Sinawo Thambo are suspended for the rest of this month for disrupting last year’s SONA, SABC News reported.
In response, the party released a statement announcing that all members of the party will not be attending anymore after they rejected the Western Cape High Court’s ruling.
“Consequently, all EFF Members of Parliament will not participate in the 2024 SONA activities and programme, as these are undemocratic and unconstitutional and the so-called State of the Nation Address in 2024 is an extended caucus of the ANC.” they said.
“Partial participation in the 2024 SONA activities and programme would imply that some of our Members agree with the unlawful, undemocratic, and unconstitutional decisions of Parliament to forbid and banish elected Members of Parliament. We will, therefore, not attend or participate in the ANC’s extended Parliamentary caucus,” they added.
The EFF’s Statement on the Western Cape High Court Judgment Against EFF Members of Parliament
-Consequently, all EFF Members of Parliament will not participate in the 2024 SONA activities and programme, as these are undemocratic and unconstitutional and the so-called State of… pic.twitter.com/xeTx9DuRhv
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) February 8, 2024
According to The Citizen, the EFF’s Nazier Paulsen said banning their leader and deputy president is interfering with the leadership of the party.
“Effectively, if you ban the commander in chief and deputy president from Sona in leading the EFF caucus, you are interfering with the leadership of an organisation and the ANC cannot dictate to the EFF as to who should be using their clandestine processes in Parliament from interfering in the leadership of the EFF.” Paulsen said.
The EFF will be launching their manifesto on 10 February and intend to focus on the election work needed to rescue South Africa from corruption. The launch will reveal systemic failures of the ruling party and unveil a clear plan of action.
The party intends to appeal the ruling of the Western Cape High Court to ensure there is no legal precedent that permits Parliament to forbid elected Members of Parliament from holding the executive accountable.
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Picture: X/@EFFSouthAfrica
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
