WATCH: Gigaba must ‘just go home’ and ‘rest’ – ANC MP

Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba made a brief appearance before parliament’s portfolio committee, just long enough to receive some advice from ANC MP Maesela Kekana.

“Without disrespect to you let’s allow the minister to go and rest,” he said.

Later on, he again suggested that Gigaba should “just go home”.

READ MORE: Gigaba lying about video being for his wife – Shivambu

The minister was meant to brief parliament on the agreement between the department of home affairs and mega-rich business family the Oppenheimer’s company Fireblade Aviation, which controversially led to the operation of a private terminal for the company at OR Tambo International Airport.

The briefing had begun the previous evening, only to be adjourned for supper and continued on Wednesday morning.

Kekana expressed his view that since there’s already a court finding from the Constitutional Court, “the apex court” in South Africa, and since the matter has been referred to the president and the public protector has already released a report on the matter, the meeting did not need to take place “in the presence of the minister”.

Another MP, the ANC’s Beauty Dambuza, agreed.

READ MORE: Gigaba apologises for waving his pinkie finger at Ndlozi

But some members of the opposition took a different view, with DA’s Haniff Hoosen saying it was a waste for Gigaba to present himself to the committee without giving his side of the story.

The EFF’s Hlengiwe Mkalipi, meanwhile, called him a “constitutional delinquent” in just the latest in a series of events that indicate that the minister has not had a good couple of weeks.

Apart from the Firebird Aviation scandal, he has also famously been caught on camera under less than savoury circumstances in what has been called a “sex tape” despite it only showing the minister on his own. Today, the EFF’s Floyd Shivambu suggested Gigaba was lying when he said he had recorded the video for his wife, suggesting it may have been for a “girlfriend” instead.

The ANC and its so called leaders are beyond redemption. A Pornstar sends a pornographic video of himself to a girlfriend and gains some chicken audacity to publicly lie that he was was being ‘romantic’ with his wife, comes parliament to wave his little finger. What do we do now?

— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) November 7, 2018

And on Tuesday, Gigaba was accused of behaving improperly after making a gesture at EFF spokesperson Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi in parliament which has been widely interpreted as a suggestion that the EFF member has a small penis.

He apologised in a tweet, blaming it on the “strain” he has “been taking over the past 10 days” but also linked to another tweet mocking the response to the gesture.

Journalist Sphe Ddludla had tweeted: “I’m waiting for social studies feminist academics to advance a debate how [Gigaba’s] gesture to [Ndlozi] feeds into toxic hyper-masculinity discourse and jealousy in men setting in over whose dick is bigger and how this leads to gender-based violence and femicide.”

I apologise, unreservedly, for this gesture. The petty taunts that provoked it and the strain I have been taking, over the past 10 days, are no excuse for my indiscretion which is perfectly summed-up in this tweet by @SpheDludla. https://t.co/Gqko6q5fG2

— Malusi Gigaba (@mgigaba) November 7, 2018

All in all, I think it’s fair to assume that, as Kekana says, the embattled minister could use a rest.

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