EFF's interdict bid against Mbete struck off the roll
The Western Cape High Court has struck off the roll the EFF's urgent application to have the National Assembly Speaker interdicted from evicting them during Parliament's question session today.
“Judge Ashley Binns-Ward struck off the application on the basis that it was not urgent,” parliamentary communication services said in a statement on yesterday night.
The EFF sought to interdict the Speaker from unlawfully, physically ejecting any member of the National Assembly.
According to Parliament, the EFF also wanted to have the session postponed until the Speaker had given the court an assurance that there would be no violence against any opposition party MPs for anything they said in the National Assembly.
"When the EFF wrote to the Speaker on 11 May, seeking certain undertakings, the office of the Speaker had indicated that she and all other presiding officers have always acted in terms of the rules and orders of the assembly and will continue to do so," it said.
President Jacob Zuma was expected to give oral replies to questions in the National Assembly at 14:00 today.
Two weeks ago, Parliament's protection services physically removed EFF MPs from the National Assembly after they refused to let President Jacob Zuma deliver his budget vote speech.
At the time, the EFF's Godrich Gardee said they had written a letter to Speaker Baleka Mbete, calling for Zuma not to be allowed to speak because there was evidence that he had not respected the Constitution.
Mbete refused their request to debate the matter, which resulted in all EFF MPs shouting over the microphones that Zuma should not be allowed to speak. Mbete asked them to leave. When they refused, Parliament’s protection services entered the chamber and forced them out.
The EFF MPs were suspended from Parliament for 5 days. When they were allowed back in, they vowed to keep up their call for Zuma to resign.
(File photo: Gallo Images)