SOUTH AFRICANS BELIEVE THE INTRODUCTION OF SECURITY GUARDS IN PARLIAMENT WILL CAUSE MORE CHAOS

By Subry Govender Is the introduction of security guards in South Africa's national parliament to control unruly members, the answer? This is the question that has been bogging the minds of most South Africans following calls by the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Baleka Mbeta, and her ruling ANC colleagues that security has to be beefed up in order to tackle the chaotic behaviour of some members. The ANC has ordered that the sub-committee of the Rules Committee in Parliament should investigate measures to control those who want bring down the dignity of Parliament. The latest move follows unpleasant scenes on Thursday last week (June 18) when the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, and his members were involved in ugly spats with members of the ANC and Ms Mbete. The EFF members heightened the temperatures when they once again erupted into shouting: "pay back the money, pay back the money". This was in reference to President Jacob Zuma's reluctance to pay back some of the R246-million of taxpayers' money that was used for upgrades at Zuma's Nkandla homestead. The action of the EFF members forced Mbete to adjourn the session, not for the first time this year. In February, Mbete called in armed police to remove Julius Malema and members of his Economic Freedom Fighters after they prevented Zuma from delivering his State of the Nation address. This time round she could not call in the police because the High Court ruled that it was illegal to eject members from parliament. The ruling ANC's chief spokesperson in parliament, Moloto Mothapo, emphasised the need for greater security to control members. He said: "We need very good security guards of parliament that will be able to be called in and instantly deal with whatever chaos that plays itself out in the house." But constitutional law experts and political analysts view the latest moves by the ruling ANC as contrary to free speech and debate guaranteed in the country's democratic constitution.

(Professor Karthy Govender) Professor Karthy Govender is a constitutional law expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban and a former acting judge. "Clearly the events in parliament should not have occurred," he said. "Parliament is meant to be a place where you have virtual, absolute freedom of expression because you want people to debate issues of concern to the nation. You can't remove parliamentarians for things they say." He added: "If you remove opposition members from parliament it increases the majority of the ruling party and it interrupts and disrupts the voters' will. So what we have been seeing is exactly what should not be happening where people are disrupting the State of the Nation address, where we are getting rulings from the Speaker which members are not respecting. So on all sides there has been behaviour that has been unbecoming of an institution like parliament."

(Dr Zakhele Ndlovu) Dr Zakhele Ndlovu, a senior Political Science lecturer and analyst based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, is of the view that robust debate is necessary for the government and its leaders to be held accountable. He said beefing up the security would not bring about any solution. "For me I think," he said, "both sides have to take responsibility". "The EFF has been behaving this way over one particular issue and that is Nkandla. So I think there needs to be a political solution over the Nkandla issue because it's not going away." Ordinary South Africans are divided on the ruling ANC's desire to introduce security guards in parliament. Some believe that those members of parliament who are unruly should be thrown out, while others believe opposition members have the right to hold the president and his government accountable for their actions or non-actions.

(Ms Njabule Thabethe) Ms Njabule Thabethe, a strong-willed law student, said parliament should not be allowed to degenerate by unruly members. "If the measures for security are going to be necessary to create a sort of order in parliament, then there is no other way to restore order."

(Ms Zothando Mdletshe) Another young student, Ms Zothando Mdletshe, 19, said Parliament was not a circus. "There has to be order so that constructive debates could take place. I think with this whole chaos nothing has been done. There are no issues that we hear about. We just hear about fighting. That is why people just don't care." An Durban engineer, Mr Jody Marx, said he was happy that the EFF was not allowing the Government and the ANC to get away with corruption. "The government and the ANC are not doing their side, so why should people below them or those against them, should have any respect for them?", he asked.

(Ms Zola Chonco) A social activist, Ms Zola Chonco, said she was concerned some people were not respecting the instruments of democracy. But at the same she was not too happy about the introduction of stricter security measures in parliament. "I think increasing security measures will create more disorder," she said. It's clear that the scenes of chaotic disruptions that has characterised South Africa's Parliament several times since June last year is not what the people of South Africa appreciate. But at the same time introducing security guards to control unruly members is also not what they had sacrificed their lives for to bring about their freedom and a constitutional democracy. It's clear that the ruling ANC has no alternative but to find a political solution by urging Zuma to resolve the Nkandla scandal. ends - Subry Govender