EFF members ejected from legislature for ignoring dress code

Fists flew and EFF representatives were dragged from the Eastern Cape legislature by security officials  in a scuffle that stemmed from their decision to wear red overalls.

The chaos ensued moments before premier Oscar Mabuyane delivered his state of the province address on Tuesday in Bhisho

The members of the party were removed for wearing overalls, which according to the speaker Helen Sauls-August was a direct violation of the rules which ban wearing gumboots, shorts, jeans and overalls among other things.

EFF Eastern Cape leader Yazini Tetyana said they had been trying to get the rules reviewed but had been defeated because they did not have the numbers to push it through.

“The core of our argument remains that there is a constitution in this country that speaks of a unitary state, which means in this case, we cannot have a legislature doing its own thing.

“Other legislatures, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces have allowed the EFF to be part of the sessions wearing overalls.

“What is so peculiar about this legislature is that here the rules can overarch the constitution,”  Tetyane said.

Tetyane said in the previous term they had not been allowed into the chamber because of their dress code but said they would come dressed in red overalls when they debate Mabuyane’s speech next week.

He said they wanted to participate in the legislative processes but wanted to do so representing the constituents who voted for them.

“We had 155,000 people vote for the EFF, they have confidence in the EFF and they want to see us wearing overalls.

“They don’t want to see us wearing suits and other shiny clothes. We are here and we will be coming back.

“We left because we felt we had made our point,” he said.

Sauls-August said the EFF had made submissions to the rules committee to have the policy on the dress code reviewed but had been unsuccessful.

“They were allowed to make motivations for their petition and so were other parties but the rules committee overwhelmingly voted against them.

“It can’t just be changed for four people. There’s nothing wrong with the rules and the rules are not against them wearing red but the rules are specific on the items that can be worn,”  Sauls-August said.

The DA’s provincial leader Nqaba Bhanga tried to appeal to Sauls-August to not have the MPLs removed physically from the house.

She refused to allow him to speak, eventually ordering him out of the chamber.

Bhanga refused to leave and though she ordered  security to remove him they did not.

Sauls-August said Bhanga’s behaviour would be reported to the rules committee.