WATCH: EFF walk out of Sopa over ‘house bending rules for Zuma’

The KwaZulu Natal EFF has walked out of the Pietermaritzburg state of the province address (Sopa) at the KZN legislature on Friday to challenge the attendance of non-members. Chief whip and deputy chairperson Mongezi Twala rose a point of order questioning the attendance of non-members in the chambers which included former president Jacob Zuma and his entourage.

Our Chief Whip and Deputy Chairperson Mongezi Twala has just rose on a point of order questioning the attendance of non members in the chambers including former President Zuma. @EFFSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/7gFgBmqNZe

— EFF KZN (@EFFKZN) June 28, 2019

This was followed by the party boycotting the sitting, accusing the speaker of being biased.

Provincial chairperson Vusumuzi Khoza elaborated on their walkout and said the house rules were deliberately being ignored. The party demanded the rule of law be applied to all, as the speaker was deliberately undermining the rules of the house.

We have restored the rule of law by walking out of chambers that deliberately undermine the rules and of the house. @EFFSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/Rlb59xoD41

— EFF KZN (@EFFKZN) June 28, 2019

Khoza said the ANC was adamant on continuing with the address against the rules of the house: “Rule 32 (b) says that non-members are not allowed in the house and we know that there are non-members in the house, mainly Jacob Zuma, his wife and a whole lot of bodyguards. That is not allowed in terms of the rules.”

They questioned the speaker on the matter as the rules stated that “if a non-member is to be invited to come to the house, there must be a consultation amongst all the (chief) whips of all the parties”.

“This time around there was no consultation. The speaker wants to bully us to say that there was a consultation” and that consultation was unnecessary since Zuma and his entourage were not sitting in the chamber.

“Yet we know for a fact that she is lying (since) the minute you enter those doors on the floor – that’s the chamber. The definition of the chamber as per the rules is anything inside there aside from the gallery where the public and media sat – were defined as inside the chamber.

“She wants to bend the rules to suit their own narrative so we have dismissed that and we said we are not going to continue sitting in the house against the rules of this legislature because we are here to make sure that this lawlessness and arrogance of the ANC is put to an end.”

[Earlier On] The Provincial Chairman and party leader @vusumuzikhoza expanding and giving clarity on the house rules and indecency of the speaker to deliberately mislead the house. @EFFSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/32pCjhCGBw

— EFF KZN (@EFFKZN) June 28, 2019

Party members also refused to stand during the singing of the national anthem.

Our members lead by the Party leader Chairman @vusumuzikhoza have, according to the norms and revolutionary posture of the @EFFSouthAfrica restored the dignity of black people by abstaining from the colonial anthem #SOPA2019 pic.twitter.com/9MuhVDzU6n

— EFF KZN (@EFFKZN) June 28, 2019

Zuma was reportedly at the legislature on Thursday where King Goodwill Bekuzulu Zwelithini opened proceedings.

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