Shorter version of State of the Province delivered

Mbasa Gqokoma
20 February 2015

Disruptions from the opposition party, the ANC were the order of the day in the State of the Province Address today.

The session started with the ANC raising points of orders one after another.

Proceedings got out of hand as the speaker of the Legislature tried to calm down the house.

Premier Helen Zille’s speech was delayed for an hour as the speaker ordered to see both party chief whips.

A few minutes later, the session resumed, just after that, the ANC proposed that the speaker steps down because she was unfit to conduct the sitting and that the deputy speaker should take charge of the house.

ANC provincial representatives lead by Marius Fransman held a brief caucus before the session resumed.

 

Another successful attempt by the ANC to have the house suspended emerged and the provincial ruling party had to dismiss the sitting.

During the sitting, deputy chief whip of the ANC Ace Tshatsha was suspended in the house with 24 votes from the majority party voting him out of the legislature and suspended for two working days, the speaker ruled.

Later, microphones of the opposition party were switched off.

 

Again it was reported by the ANC that there were private security forces in the legislature of which lead to another chaotic debate between the parties.

DA Leader Helen Zille addressed the media after the house was suspended and outlined in her speech areas of concern and that the government will be making changes on, she mentioned education, safety, transformation, job creation and E-learning at schools.

The joint sitting will resume next week, ordered the speaker.