Is SA descending into a new season of anarchy?

Are we heralding a new season of anarchy in our country – the destruction of parliamentary decorum and all the nuts and bolts that keep government’s functionality neat and tight?

Are we replacing political order and political authority with revolution or violence, and turning the serious business of government into a circus? For nearly 90 minutes on Thursday evening, it looked like order had been suspended in our country and that lawlessness had taken over.

The National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces joint sitting to listen to the state of the nation address (Sona) by President Cyril Ramaphosa turned into bedlam.

It seemed, albeit temporarily, the red berets had usurped power, and with zeal and zest were drawing rings around everything conventional, and getting away with murder, as the saying goes.

First the barbs were aimed at former president FW de Klerk, whom Julius Malema described as “a murderer”, questioning why he was invited, and ignoring House Speaker Thandi Modise’s answer that since 1994 the invitation of former presidents to the Sonas had been “a convention”.

Then it was the turn of Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to have abuse heaped on him.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MPs said he had caused grave injustice, contributing to the dysfunctionality of Eskom and SAA and other state-owned enterprises (SOEs). According to the EFF, the joint parliamentary sitting would have to be suspended and Ramaphosa would have to announce the demise of Gordhan, with De Klerk already ejected from the House.

How does this advance the cause of the EFF?

Both EFF leader Julius Malema and his deputy, Floyd Shivambu, are taking a hammering. A lot of impropriety is associated with their names and it’s being evaded with obfuscation. Throwing mud at De Klerk and Gordhan helps their cause.

It deflects attention from their misdemeanours, so their association with the VBS scandal gets forgotten. Shivambu and Malema are facing criminal charges. Shivambu for assaulting a journalist and Malema for corruption and unlawfully discharging a firearm.

There are unconfirmed stories of Malema helping himself to tenders in Limpopo and helping others in the provincial government to deplete government’s resources. There are upcoming local government elections. Malema has to appear on national television as a messiah who will save the country from the “uncaring” government of the ANC.

So the strategy was, it seemed, to discredit Ramaphosa as the leader who keeps in his government an incompetent minister, Gordhan, and invites a “murderer”, De Klerk, to the Sona.

Jo-Mangaliso Mdhlela is a priest, journalist and former trade unionist.

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