EFF heads back to Con Court so Parliament can punish Zuma

The Economic Freedom Fighters want the Constitutional Court to force Parliament to impeach or take disciplinary action against President Jacob Zuma.

This was announced by party leader Julius Malema at a media briefing this afternoon when he also announced that the EFF would not be participating in the state of the nation debates happening today and tomorrow.

“We are now taking the matter to court to have Baleka [Mbete] compelled by court to discipline Zuma. Because the Constitutional Court was not going to say to us discipline Zuma or remove Zuma. They just said to us, he has done wrong things,” Malema said.

The EFF and other parties went to the Constitutional Court last year to establish whether or not the remedial actions of the Public Protector were legally binding. The court found that they were in fact legally binding and that the president failed to uphold and defend the Constitution and his oath of office by refusing to comply with the Public Protector’s remedial action in the report pertaining to security upgrades made at his Nkandla home

“What happens next? It is for Parliament to institute impeachment processes or disciplinary action to take further the decision of the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court can’t say this person acted unconstitutionally and it ends there and nothing happens. If you allow things to continue as if nothing happened at the Constitutional Court you are rendering the Constitutional Court useless.”

The decision to head back to the country’s highest court follows another vicious eviction of EFF MPs from the National Assembly at this year’s state of the nation address, which was delivered by president Zuma last week Thursday.

EFF MPs refused yet again to be addressed by the president, saying that he had violated his oath of office and as a result was no longer fit to hold the office of the presidency.

Malema also announced that the party had written to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate to see whether or not police who allegedly posed as members of the parliamentary protection services had violated the Constitution in anyway.

He said that they had identified members of the South African Police Services who were in white shirts, posing as protection services in the National Assembly.

Media24 Parliamentary Bureau chief Janet Heard took these photographs during President Jacob Zuma’s eventful state of the nation address last week.

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema refuses to budge during President Jacob Zuma’s state of the nation address on February 9 2017. Picture: Janet Heard/City Press

2. Parliamentary bodyguards wait outside the National Assembly, waiting to move in to remove Economic Freedom Fighters members. Picture: Janet Heard/City Press

3. Doors open and the “White Shirts” security personnel move in to the National Assembly and start removing members of Parliament. Picture: Janet Heard/City Press

4. Fists fly as the Economic Freedom Fighters are removed from Parliament. Picture: Janet Heard/City Press

5. Julius Malema tussles with a member of Parliament’s security team. Picture: Janet Heard/City Press

6. Chaos erupted as the White Shirts descended and the EFF resisted. Picture: Janet Heard/City Press

7. The White Shirts force Economic Freedom Fighters members through the corridors of Parliament. Picture: Janet Heard/City Press

8. Glass shattered during the violent scuffles as members of Parliament were escorted through the corridors and out of Parliament. Picture: Janet Heard/City Press

	S'thembile Cele Journalist City Press p: +27 11 713 9001 w: www.citypress.co.za  e: Sthembile.Cele@citypress.co.za
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