EFF fails in court bid to lift SONA suspension
Six senior EFF members will be suspended from Parliament for a month from Thursday.
Parliament's welcomed the Western Cape High Court ruling that saw the party's application to have the sanctions lifted being struck from the roll.
It was dismissed with costs on Tuesday.
Last year, the party members, including leader Julius Malema, were forcibly removed from the house after disruptions during the State of the Nation Address.
Parliament endorsed a recommendation from the Powers and Privileges Committee to suspend the six MPs.
They were found guilty of contempt of Parliament and will be barred from attending this year's SONA.
"We concur with the majority judgement that the responsibility lies with the applicant, in this case, the EFF, to ensure that they adhere to court rules and have a well-prepared case that is ripe for hearing," says Parliament's spokesperson Moloto Mothapo.
"The EFF's imposed unreasonable timeframes and their filing on midnight before the next court day not only inconvenienced Parliament and the court but also indicated their lack of readiness for their application to be heard."
