EFF: Mbete wants to silence Zuma critics
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has accused the Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete of doing everything she can to silence President Jacob Zuma's critics.
This comes after Mbete refereed the EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu to Parliament's Disciplinary Committee for remarks he made about the president in the National Assembly.
Shivambu said during a debate in Parliament that "Jacob Zuma will kill loyalists" and that Cooperative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen was "appointed by the Guptas".
"We unequivocally reject the Speaker's move as deliberate suppression of free speech in parliament. It is also an attempt to silence criticism of Zuma's cabinet reshuffle as dictated to by the Gupta family who are Zuma's business partners," the EFF says.
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The party also says according to the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act and the Constitution, Members of Parliament enjoy free speech and they can't be punished for the things they say in parliament.
"We reiterate that the EFF Deputy President was correct in his remarks: Van Rooyen was absolutely a Gupta appointee as Finance Minister and Zuma will indeed be using everything in his power, including killing all his critics who today keep silent within the ANC."