Pretoria - The Gauteng legislature’s first sitting to debate Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s maiden State of the Province Address (Sopa) got off to a chaotic start following insults between ANC and EFF members in the house.
The sitting had to be adjourned for a few minutes after these opposition parties allegedly used unacceptable language in the Legislature such as “nonsense” and “bullshit” against each other but none of them admitted to using the foul language.
That prompted Speaker Ntombi Mekgwe to suspend proceedings to allow her to consult with various party leaders in the chamber. Interestingly, Lesufi was also accused of having joined the fray in the unbecoming conduct by the EFF.
The newly-elected EFF leader Phillip Makwala in the legislature made it boldly clear to the Speaker that his predecessor Itani Mukhevho would not apologise for his alleged “nonsense comment” until the “real Speaker of the House” Mhlakaza-Manamela withdrew her alleged bullshit comment.
The initial but low key chaos erupted when Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga - who was the first to reply - accused Lesufi of having delivered his Sopa which lacked detail on how he planned to revive the economy of the province.
Msimanga also cautioned Lesufi on his emphasis that his government had set aside R6 billion for the construction of new schools. While Msimanga welcomed the move, he criticised the Gauteng government for allegedly failing to maintain other schools in Tshwane which had allegedly become a hunting ground for metal by criminals.
“Lets deal with the basics before dreaming of big projects,” Msimanga said.
All these comments received jeers from the senior ANC members including the Deputy Speaker Nomvuyo Memory Mhlakaza-Manamela and the MEC for Infrastructure Development Lebogang Maile - which prompted the Speaker Ntombi Mekgwe to urgently appeal to the ANC and its Chief Whip Lesego Makhubela to call his members his members to order in the house.
Replying to Msimanga, Makhubela also used the debate to attack the persona of the DA-leader and a former schoolmate at SaulRidge High in Atteridgeville.
In his presentation, Makhubela told the house that Msimanga, despite being a pupil at the same school, was virtually known by his own teachers such as the one only referred to as Mr Mangena in the house.
All this set the tone of the chaotic debate in the house.
The sitting is expected to resume after the Speakers consultation with party leaders.
Pretoria News