Deputy Speaker of South Africa’s National Assembly was involved in an ugly exchange with a female MP that ended up turning personal.
It all started when MP Khonziwe Hlonyana allied to Julius Malema’s opposition party EFF aka The Economic Freedom Fighters asked Deputy speaker in the National Assembly Lechesa Tsenoli to ask a member who had used the word ‘anarchist’ to withdraw it over what she claimed was not under the right orders of SA’s National Assembly.
Freedom Front+ MP Wouter Wessels had used the word “anarchist” while referring to a video of Eckhard Binding picking up litter and putting it in a trash bin, only for two waiting female EFF members to throw it back on the ground.
“There are parties in this house that are only seeking anarchy, violence, and who are not interested in building a better South Africa for all. We need more people like Binding who take a stand against anarchists like the EFF. We should not allow anarchists to win.” said MP Wouter Wessels
But the Deputy Speaker Tsenoli ordered that it was a ‘political statement’ and saw no need of the point of order.
“Honourable member, that’s a political statement, there’s nothing wrong with it.”
MP Hlonyana strong demands to compel the Deputy Speaker to order the MP in question to withdraw the controversial statement was met with a huge objection from the head of the house at that moment.
So, Tsenoli and Hlonyana were neither backing down their stands.
Brave Hlonyana, sensing his tough stand, played a trick and Tsenoli swayed his words right into the trap.
She called him an ‘anarchist’, to see how he would react to it, and of course Tsenoli demanded that she withdraw the statement with the immediate effect
“Okay, honourable member, you will withdraw that now,” to which she responded: “Why? Why must I withdraw? You said he must not withdraw, why must I withdraw when I say it’s you?”
He gave a reason that Hlonyana did not understand the house standing rules over his demands to withdraw her statement .
Watch the hilarious video below
