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The tensions in the ANC reached a new low when a male MP allegedly attempted to assault a female comrade inside the National Assembly chamber during a plenary session on Thursday.
The alleged attempted assault by ANC MP Mervyn Dirks took place in full view of other MPs as the House was busy adopting the adjusted budgets for department and ministries.
City Press witnessed the commotion in the ANC backbenches as the doors opened for MPs to take a short break during the eight-hour marathon session to debate the medium-term budget policy statement and pass the Adjustments Appropriation Bill.
It all started when House chairperson Cedric Frolick, who was presiding over the session, gave MPs a two-minute break while Parliament staff looked into the voting system. This was extended to five minutes at the request of MPs who wanted to go to the toilet. About three minutes into the break, there was a commotion in the back benches of the ANC.
EFF MP Thembinkosi Rawula alerted Frolick and the House to the commotion when he took to the mic and said: “I think the deputy president must intervene. There is a fight here. These people are fighting.”
A woman’s voice could be heard shouting “nonsense” and shrieking. City Press did not see Dirks actually striking the female MP, whose name is known to us. But four MPs, one of them who was sitting about five metres from the commotion, claimed that Dirks was assaulting the female MP.
The House reconvened about three minutes into the scuffle, with Frolick chiding the opposition MPs who were trying to draw the attention to the matter: “Don’t aggravate the situation. You are childish. Don’t do that.”
The House proceeded with voting until Rawula again, rising on a point of order, queried how it could continue with its business as if nothing happened.
“For some reason we have been held at ransom by ANC caucus and we can’t just pass through that like nothing happened. We have been held to ransom by the ANC fight.
“I feel unsafe in the House if blows can be exchanged in the House and people beat up each other, how can you guarantee my safety as a member of Parliament?”
The House adjourned for another 10 minutes to fix the voting system.
When it reconvened, DA chief whip John Steenhuisen stated that he had seen Dirks visibly attempting to strike a female MP. He called for him to be removed from the House.
Without mentioning any names, ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu said serious allegations had been made against an MP by ANC MPs who sat in the corner.
“We have escalated the allegations to the head of the institution, the Speaker. Among the allegations are that serious insults were thrown at our female members, that threats and gestures of assault were made and we have asked those members to put in writing all those allegations, so that we can indeed put them formally to the Speaker and the processes of Parliament including disciplinary processes can be put on anybody who has threatened any member of this House.”
The IFP, EFF and Cope MPs argued that there was prima facie evidence that one MP had at least threatened another.
Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said if any threats were made against a woman in the House, Frolick ought to make a ruling.
“It is 16 days of activism; we cannot have a man threatening a woman in this chamber, let alone strangling her,” she said.
Dirks denied that he attacked the female MP, saying he has never been involved in any altercation with any member. A few minutes later, he was thrown out of the House for showing opposition MPs a middle finger.
Dirks is already before the Powers and Privileges committee for another alleged transgression.
City Press could not get hold of the alleged victim.
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