Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Speaker Nontembeko Boyce has called on members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) to conduct themselves properly, and follow the rules of the house at all times.
The call follows rowdy behaviour, including the heckling of speakers by members during Tuesday’s sitting at the KZN Legislature which was debating the State of the Province address (Sopa).
Tuesday’s chaotic scenes followed similar ones on Friday during the presentation of the Sopa, where EFF MPLs constantly interjected when Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube was speaking.
During Tuesday’s sitting, Boyce had to interject a number of times, calling to order MPLs from the ANC and IFP who were exchanging unpleasant remarks during the debate. The misbehaviour included the answering of phone calls by MPLs during the sitting.
“You cannot answer your phones in the house no matter how urgent the call is. It is really something we cannot tolerate, please step out,” Boyce said.
During the sitting, the speaker called to order ANC deputy chief whip Vuyiswa Caluza for disrupting EFF MPL Hlengiwe Chiliza, who was participating in the debate for the first time.
“Honourable deputy chief whip, please give the EFF MPL a chance to deliver her maiden speech,” the speaker appealed.
Another MPL, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa was called to order for using unparliamentary language in the legislature, this after he indicated that the IFP’s recent wins in by-elections were a foretaste of things to come for the ANC.
“We are still going to make you s#*% yourselves in the coming by-elections,” said the IFP leader.
The utterance prompted Boyce to call the IFP president to order, with a reminder that such an utterance in Nguni language was a foul one.
The speaker insisted that MPLs need to behave themselves in line with their positions as public representatives.