Parliament – The actions of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MPs during the State of the Nation Address was a national shame and a national disaster and should be criminally probed, ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu said on Friday.
Addressing journalists in Parliament, Mthembu said the chaotic joint sitting of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces on Thursday night, was the clearest indication of the EFF's "resoluteness to render Parliament dysfunctional".
"When a party of few MPs violate the rules and procedures of Parliament at will and even unleash violence against those tasked with managing and preserving the orderly management of the House, then our national liberty is at stake. This cannot be allowed to continue," said Mthembu.
Mthembu called for a criminal investigation into the clashes between EFF MPs and parliamentary security staff, calling it a "blatant act of criminality", which ended in damage to property at the legislature. He also suggested a committee of Parliament investigate the conduct of EFF MPs.