MKP considers legal options over chaotic KZN Legislature vote

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) is considering legal action against what it termed the ‘illegal processes’ followed by KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Speaker Nontembeko Boyce, during the motion of no confidence against Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, on Monday.

The MKP, supported by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), tabled a motion against Ntuli and demanded a secret ballot, but the Speaker ruled that the vote had to be public. 

Following Boyce’s decision, the majority of members of the Legislature voted against the ballot and this resulted in Ntuli securing victory which resulted in chaos.

MKP and EFF members shouted, sang and banged on tables with their hands. Police officers were called in, and what appeared to be a water bottle was thrown in the direction of Boyce.

Bonginkosi Mngadi, MK Party’s KZN Chief Whip, claimed that Boyce violated rules, which warrant pursuing legal action.

Mngadi said that the party’s national leadership will give them direction on whatever legal mechanisms they need to take.

Mngadi said that a water bottle that hit Boyce was thrown at the police.

"The situation was abnormal. If you throw a bottle at the police and it slips, then obviously, it was not the intention to do that.”

The MKP and EFF’s conduct received sharp criticism from various political parties.

Mkhuleko Hlengwa, the IFP's national spokesperson, said that the violent, aggressive, and intimidatory behaviour displayed by the MKP was “unacceptable” in a democratic legislature and represents a direct assault on the principles of constitutional democracy, accountability, and respect for institutions of governance.

Francois Rodgers, the DA's KZN Leader, said “these barbaric acts did not end only by gestures and screams, but the Speaker of the Legislature had what seemed to be a water bottle thrown at her.” 

He added that the DA, through its chief whip, will explore options to lay criminal charges, and both the Speaker and the Legislature secretary were assaulted when the house was adjourned.

The ANC KZN said an attack on the Speaker was an attack on the authority, dignity and independence of the Legislature itself.

"The ANC strongly encourages the Speaker to open a criminal case of assault against the individual concerned. This incident cannot be trivialised or normalised, especially in a country grappling with an alarming crisis of gender-based violence,” the ANC stated.

The EFF KZN leadership did not respond to a request for comment while Boyce’s spokesperson Aphelele Ntumbu had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said he was appalled by the violent scenes witnessed in the Legislature on Monday, saying it reflected a 'disturbing contempt for the institutions of government where democracy should be anchored in mutual respect and a shared commitment to the people we represent and whose interests must always come first'. 

"The scenes are a clear sign of the erosion of respect for democracy, for one another as political parties, and for voters, which is a crying shame and has regrettably become commonplace in councils, legislatures and Parliament. 

"Democracy means that when no single party can form a government, those parties that do come together to form a coalition and command the required majority become the government and, put simply, when the numerical strength to achieve this is absent, violence can never be the answer," Mashaba said

gcwalisile.khanyile@inl.co.za