‘SPURIOUS, CHAOTIC, DISRESPECTFUL!’ – Magwenya blasts EFF for disrupting President’s Q&A

Ramaphosa

Cape Town – The Presidency has strongly condemned the disruption of parliamentary proceedings during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent appearance in the National Assembly, calling the conduct of some MPs “chaotic,” “spurious,” and “disrespectful”.

The criticism comes in the wake of a chaotic parliamentary session on Tuesday, where multiple EFF MPs — among them party leader Julius Malema — were physically ejected from the National Assembly. The uproar was mainly triggered by persistent objections to the presence of two armed protectors inside the chamber.

In a series of posts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya criticised members of Parliament who interrupted the session with repeated points of order and ignored the rulings of the presiding officer.

“It is utterly disrespectful to the President, Parliament and the people of South Africa to disrupt proceedings of Parliament with spurious points of order,” Magwenya wrote. “It demonstrates the absence of leadership.”

President Ramaphosa was in Parliament to answer questions as part of his constitutional obligations. Magwenya emphasised that the President takes his accountability role seriously, stating that “a lot of work and coordination” goes into crafting accurate responses to questions posed by MPs.

However, the session was reportedly marred by interruptions, particularly from opposition benches, leading to tensions in the chamber.

“They’ll demand accountability and then when the President comes to Parliament to account, they interrupt proceedings,” Magwenya said.

He also alluded to security concerns, defending the presence of presidential protectors in the chamber – a matter that has previously drawn criticism from some MPs.

“Some of the people complaining about the presence of protectors once stormed the stage during SONA, attempting to attack the President,” Magwenya said, referring to a 2015 incident involving Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MPs during the State of the Nation Address.

“They came to the House with no substance or value to add to the session and, as always, they have resorted to chaos,” he added.

The Presidency’s comments follow increasing tensions in the run-up to the national and provincial elections, where political parties are intensifying their campaigns. Ramaphosa’s handling of accountability and Parliament’s decorum remain key issues of public interest.

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