*Article has been updated
Parliament – Drama unfolded both inside and outside the National Assembly as Economic Freedom Fighters were forced out followed by a walkout by the Democratic Alliance.
Fists, hardhats, rocks and water bottles flew as EFF MPs clashed with Parliament’s guards as they were removed from the chamber.
Earlier Speaker of Baleka Mbethe had warned the EFF that they will not sit all night while party members waste time on points of order, saying they won’t be taking any more.
This as President Jacob Zuma was heckled on his second attempt to begin his address.
Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters started shouting for recognition from the speaker and hackling for the President to sit down.
An exasperated Baleka Mbethe warned members of the EFF that they were abusing their right to freedom of expression.
“We have been patient with you, we have been trying to give you the opportunity to express yourselves but you are abusing this because all honourable members in his house have come to listen to SONA,” she says.
“South Africans are in the gallery and at home waiting to listen to SONA, we will respect your freedom of speech and disrupt the business of the house and abuse us.
“We are not going to sit here the whole night raising points of order.
“We have ruled on the issues you have been raising, we are not intending to waste time because you have the right to raise a point of order.”
One after the other, member of the EFF stood up calling for President Zuma to not address them and leave the house as he as a ‘scoundrel’ and ‘political delinquent’ who had broken his oath of office.
Mbethe then asked EFF members to leave the house if they were not interested in the business of the day.
“We are not going anywhere, the gentlemen there must leave,” shouted one of the EFF.
Standing defiant, EFF members refused to leave with EFF leader Julius Malema saying they were ready to deal with the soldiers sent to "kill them’’.
“They can come and slaughter us now,” he shouted.
Within minutes a small army of guards walked into the chamber which resulted in a scuffle as EFF members were dragged out.
Once outside, MPs used their hardhats as weapons which they flung at the members, even attempting to remove the rocks from the ground to use as weapons.
Minutes later the DA led by Mmusi Maimane staged a walk-out saying they could not stay in after teargas was used inside the National Assembly.