Cape Town – Julius Malema and five other members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have been ordered to apologise in person to President Cyril Ramaphosa for disrupting his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February.
On Wednesday, the powers and privileges committee of parliament determined that the six EFF members — Malema, deputy leader Floyd Shivambu, secretary-general Marshall Dlamini, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Vuyani Pambo, and spokesperson Sinawo Tambo — were guilty of misconduct, EWN reported.
The committee imposed a one-month suspension without pay on them and mandated that they issue apologies to the South African public, parliament, and the president.
The MPs will have their salaries docked for the month of February.
The decision was made by the powers and privileges committee, and the report will be sent to the National Assembly for adoption.
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“I request the support team to submit a draft report by Wednesday to the committee for its approval, which will be tabled in the house for consideration,” Times Live quoted the committee chair as saying after reading out the findings.
The suspension lasting for the entire month of February, from the 1st to the 29th, will prevent Malema and the five other suspended EFF members from attending the State of the Nation Address (SONA) scheduled for February 8.
The formation of the committee was prompted by the incident during which Malema and the EFF members stormed the stage as Ramaphosa commenced his annual speech.
They were accused of threatening Ramaphosa, leading to their forceful removal from the event.
The EFF had submitted a letter defending their actions, but it was dismissed as they walked out of the hearing.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
