There will be no State of the Nation Address (Sona) for EFF president Julius Malema and five other EFF MPs whose urgent application to lift their suspension was dismissed with costs.
On Thursday, the Western Cape High Court dismissed, with costs, the EFF’s application for an interim interdict to prevent Parliament from implementing chapters 1 to 2B of the Joint Rules of Parliament.
The MPs were sanctioned for disrupting last year’s Sona after Parliament adopted new rules on December 6, 2023. According to Parliament, the chapters 1 to 2B of the Joint Rules prohibit disruptions in Parliament and rule that no member may interrupt the president when he delivers the Sona, and orders for the removal of MPs from the Chamber.
Parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo has welcomed the judgment, saying the court held that the EFF failed to provide any evidence to substantiate its claim that the amended rules were only adopted as a means to “target” the party as all other political parties would be subjected to the impugned rules.
“The court added that it also saw no correlation between the adoption of the amended rules and a perceived ulterior political motive, as the EFF argued.”
This was the party’s third attempt at trying to force Parliament to allow its members to attend Sona.
Early this week, the party brought a court application to rescind the suspension but the Western Cape High Court struck the matter off the roll after the Red Berets failed to file their affidavit and arguments in time.
Independent Media reported this week that Malema, while addressing students at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) on Tuesday, slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying that in spite of sharp criticism and boycotts against him, former president Jacob Zuma had never banned them from attending Sona.
“We fought with (Jacob) Zuma. Zuma has never banned us from going to Parliament.
“Today, a man that they said is the most democratic man, a transparent man, a man who is not corrupt, has banned the EFF from participating in Sona because he is scared of the EFF,” Malema said.
The party has yet to react to the latest judgment.
The Star