Note to Editors: Please note Dr Imran Keeka, MPL sound bite in English
The DA has written (view here) to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Legislature Speaker, Nontembeko Boyce, following what we regard as recent deliberate and destructive attempts by the MK Party (MKP) to undermine the work of the Legislature.
The incidents in question took place during the recent suspension of several MKP members following riotous conduct within the House on 15 December last year.
In one instance, a suspended MKP member was observed transporting individuals to a public hearing, allegedly to disrupt proceedings. That disruption was ultimately so severe that the entire engagement had to be terminated prematurely.
This saw members of the public, who attended to make their meaningful contributions, being denied the opportunity. It also led to the Legislature incurring avoidable costs. It is the DA’s considered view that responsibility for this disruption rests squarely with the MKP.
The DA believes that this incident constitutes a prima facie case, warranting referral to the Ethics Committee. In our view, the conduct of the member in question amounts to contempt of the rules of the Legislature and may also contravene applicable national legislation.
Should the Speaker – in the exercise of her discretion – refer the matter, the Ethics Committee will be required to determine whether the member deliberately and improperly interfered with the work of a committee, thereby undermining a constitutionally mandated public participation process.
Public participation is a fundamental pillar of our constitutional democracy. It informs law-making, budgetary oversight and policy development. Most importantly, it ensures that citizens’ voices meaningfully shape decisions within the provincial legislature. To undermine this process is to undermine democracy itself, and it must be unequivocally condemned.
The MKP may claim to be a political force, but conduct of this nature reveals it to be little more than feckless and without direction.
The DA, as a committed member of KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), remains resolute in demanding accountability and scrutiny at all levels. South Africans elect representatives to serve with integrity, diligence and respect for the Constitution and the rule of law – not to engage in disruption or contempt for democratic norms.