WATCH: EFF MP Naledi Chirwa made to withdraw ‘brutal murders’ comment
EFF MPs defended the Fees Must Fall activist, saying she had nothing to apologise for.
22 May 2019, CAPE TOWN, EFF’s Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu – Parliament official election of the President of the Republic of South Africa and swearing in of Member of Parliament in the National Assembly. Foto: Adrian de Kock
Parliament was disrupted after deputy speaker Lechesa Tsenoli asked Economic Freedom Fighters MP Naledi Chirwa to withdraw her comment on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government.
In her speech, Chirwa called Ramaphosa’s Sona “stale, empty, and meaningless” and accused him of selling his soul to the “captains of the industry who are wholly white and are men”. She further touched on homophobia and said the justice system was not doing enough to protect homosexuals.
“I’m infuriated by your tone-deaf attitude to thousands of lesbian women subjected to corrective rapes and facing their tormentors in the streets because our criminal justice system cannot protect those who sex differently.”
Things went south when she touched on free education and slammed the current government for jailing students whose crime was a fight for free education.
“Your government, Mr President, is responsible for many and the most heinous of crimes – you jailed Khanya Cekeshe, you jailed Bonginkosi Khanyile and are complicit for the brutal murders of Benjamin Phehla, Bongani Madonsela, just because they asked for [the] free education that you promised them when they were still toddlers in 1994.”
An ANC MP then raised a point of order and asked Chirwa to withdraw her “brutal murders” accusation, but EFF MPs defended her and said there was nothing to withdraw.
“Stop being emotional,” an EFF MP told Tsenoli as others continued their support of Chirwa.
Things went back and forth as EFF MPs kept defending their own until Chirwa agreed to withdraw and continued with her speech.
[MUST WATCH]: Honourable @NalediChirwa making her maiden speech on behalf of the EFF today, responding to Ramaphosa's stale, empty and meaningless State of the Nation Address. pic.twitter.com/F9kp84gqkj
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) June 25, 2019
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
