For the past week, the EFF has been threatening to disrupt the upcoming State of the Nation Address, if President Ramaphosa doesn’t fire Pravin Gordhan.
If Ramaphosa refuses to fire Gordhan, then, according to Malema, “Ramaphosa must go”.
The EFF hasn’t disrupted anything for a while, so I reckon they’re just looking for an excuse to get back into the news.
In the meantime, they got some brawling / disruption practice in at a recent meeting of the Special Council in Tshwane.
The scuffle took place at Tshwane House Council Chamber on Thursday.
The purpose of the meeting was to try and pass motions of no confidence against Katlego Mathebe, Mayor Stevens Mokgalapa, acting Speaker Zweli Khumalo, and chair of chairs Gert Pretorious.
Nobody is entirely sure what really started the fight. According to IOL, it began when the strategic executive in the office of the Speaker, Tiyiselani Babane, went to ANC councillors and provoked them.
Then the EFF joined in. The DA also reportedly came prepared with 80 bouncers to manage any issues that might play out.
ANC regional chairperson Dr Kgosi Maepa says that he was shocked at the DA’s decision to bring bouncers, saying it meant the ANC councillors were not safe because “the DA brought violence”.
Then violence happened anyway, so yeah…
But let’s start at the beginning:
The EFF making their entrance ahead of the Special Council Meeting:
#TshwaneCouncil EFF making their entrance ahead of the Special Council Meeting. Opposition parties ANC & EFF are hoping to oust the DA in Tshwane through motions of no confidence against the Mayor and Speaker #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/jgS2yPcuAY
— Sipho Stuurman (@Sipho_Stuurman) January 16, 2020
All is merry and well. Then the fight breaks out, and the EFF dare the speaker to call the bouncers:
#TshwaneCouncil more chaos, ANC and EFF councilors daring the speaker to call the reported 30 bouncers, that have been deployed to reinforce security. Motions of no confidence are yet to be tabled. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/cUzpbuNpdW
— Sipho Stuurman (@Sipho_Stuurman) January 16, 2020
And fists are flying:
ANC and EFF cllrs behaving in an unruly manner and disrupting the special #TshwaneCouncil meeting from progressing. pic.twitter.com/QQpnuZ5pMB
— DA Gauteng (@DAGauteng) January 16, 2020
Take a minute for the gentleman in the white shirt who took the opportunity to practice his technique.
Then the DA gets involved.
RT @JKwritingz: During the break, a physical altercation breaks out between a DA councilor and some EFF and ANC councillors#ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/lOY0Uvp0lb
— City Press (@City_Press) January 16, 2020
In the end, the meeting collapsed when members of the ANC and EFF staged a walkout.
Nothing was achieved.
Par for the course, really.
[source:iol]
