By: Zilungike Mkhize
Opposition parties in Parliament, the MK Party and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), staged a walkout on Thursday, refusing to participate in a National Assembly sitting where President Cyril Ramaphosa was scheduled to answer questions from MPs.
The dramatic protest follows a recent Constitutional Court judgment which found that Parliament acted unconstitutionally in 2022 when it allowed the governing African National Congress (ANC) to use its majority to block an impeachment inquiry into the Phala Phala matter involving Ramaphosa.
EFF National Chairperson and Chief Whip in Parliament, Noluthando Nolutshungu, said the House could not continue to sit and listen to Ramaphosa, accusing the President of failing to respect the Constitution and undermining parliamentary accountability.
Tensions escalated after Speaker of Parliament Thoko Didiza rejected requests from opposition parties to postpone or reconsider the sitting in light of the court ruling.
Following Didiza’s decision, MPs from both the EFF and MK Party walked out of the chamber in protest, highlighting growing tensions between opposition parties and the ANC-led government over issues of accountability and constitutional governance.
