EFF Facing Arrest for Storming Gauteng Parliament


By Oliver Ngwenya    23-Jul-2014 21:17 UTC+02:00 8
EFF supporters plan to storm Gauteng Legislature. Photo: EWN

EFF supporters plan to storm Gauteng Legislature. Photo: EWN.

It all started when the members of the Economic Freedom Fighters were ejected from the Gauteng Legislature for not conforming to the parliamentary dress code. On July 1, the speaker of the House, Ntombi Mekgwe, ordered the members of the EFF to leave the house if they were not prepared to discard the attire they were wearing. The EFF members of the Gauteng legislature had, as is the party national policy, attended the house dressed in red overalls and maids’ pull-overs which seemed to have irked Mekgwe, who ordered them to leave the house. In addition, the attire of these members had slogan ásijiki’, which means we do not retreat written on them.

On Tuesday this week, the members of the Economic Freedom Fighters, led by their leader and commander in chief, Julius Malema, stormed the Gauteng Legislature in protest over this expulsion. According to police reports, on their way to the legislature, the more than two thousand EFF members defied police by refusing to turn right into De Villiers Street, and continued straight on to Rissik Street into oncoming traffic. Party supporters allegedly also looted hawkers’ stalls, burnt a mobile police satellite station, and broke windows of several shops on their way to Braamfontein, where they were assembled in the morning.

On arrival at the legislature they broke through the police cordon and stormed into the building, which they vowed not to leave until their members were allowed back into the legislature. In the evening, police had to fire tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the EFF supporters. Stun grenades were thrown inside the foyer. Several people that include Malema, EFF national co-ordinator Mpho Ramakatsa and the party’s media liaison officer Lerato Motsa were injured in the ensuing melee.

However, despite this unfortunate turn of events for the party, the police and other entities are laying charges against the red brigade. According to Lt-Col Lungelo Dlamini, charges of public violence and malicious damage to property were laid against the party at the Johannesburg Central police station. He however, said arrests had been made. In addition to these charges, the Gauteng Legislature itself had laid charges of trespassing, damage to property, and intimidation against the EFF. This was confirmed by the legislature’s acting secretary Hlengiwe Bhengu. These charges, she explained, related to the EFF’s forced entry into the legislature, looting food catered for the sitting, assaulting police officers, throwing broken bottles at the building, and vandalising legislature property. Furthermore, the transport MEC for the province, Ismail Vadi and another person also opened criminal cases against the EFF.



 8 Comments


  1. Confidento. says:

    They act like 1 to 2 year olds that are learning to grow up.My only advice for them is to discard the red overalls and go back to wearing nappies.

  2. cybermoggy says:

    All recall the horror of brown and black shirt fascists during WWII. Well now WE have the red overalled EFF fascists th atcan only destroy to achieve their aims. They are a bunch of thugs what should be rounded up, tried, imprisoned and put on hard labour. Malema is a violent aged youth thug. He reminds one of Idi Amin. If he can’t get his way he throws his toys out of his oversized cot. The EFF denies their members caused this damage and turmoil, yet it occurred directly at the time that he and his fellow deliquent bully bandits stormed the Provincial parliament. Such actions must not be tollerated.

  3. cybermoggy says:

    MalENNEMA must not be tolerated.

  4. dumisa says:

    People who smart wll never suport such politicaly part,Malema wll nver b a gud leader,dts why dey Nelson Mandela sys Education is a weapon for succes,bt hw cn ppl suport ds Bull

  5. Desmond says:

    This country does not need people like Malema and the rest of his stupid crew,instead their attitude is worse than a kid from creche.Justice must be done to those whom their goods were desrtroyed/vandalised

  6. Nathaniel says:

    justice must take it steps to teach EFF how we do things in following protocol. grow up EFF u act like yr lost in this country

  7. Free___Speech says:

    If they continue to terrorize the public with their rude behavior, they should be arrested and charged with public violence. Why do we actually tolerate these thugs? Jail them!

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