CAPE TOWN – The Economic Freedom Fighters on Monday secured legal agreement from speaker Baleka Mbete that she would not move immediately to suspend its MPs from parliament for staging a noisy protest demanding the president repay costs on his Nkandla home.
The EFF welcomed Mbete’s capitulation, which followed threats from the party to launch a high court challenge, but it is not a final reprieve as a parliamentary committee will still investigate its members’ actions. “The EFF welcomes this as one of the first vindications of its position and protest in parliament demanding that Jacob Zuma pays back the money unduly spent in Nkandla,” spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said.
“EFF maintains that none of its MPs acted outside the rules of parliament, and that it will proceed to robustly demand answers from the executive without any fear or favour.” Committee chairperson Leshile Mashile announced to members in a meeting that lawyers for the EFF and the speaker had said she would abandon plans to ask the National Assembly yesterday to suspend 20 of the party’s members for up to a fortnight.
– Nampa-Sapa
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