Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Western Cape legislature descended into chaos on Thursday after the ANC called for a snap debate amid fraud allegations lodged against the speaker, Masizole Mnqasela.
Mnqasela has been suspended from all DA activities following allegations of irregularities relating to his travel and entertainment allowances.
The sitting was chaired by the deputy speaker, Beverley Schäfer, who read out the response Mnqasela had sent to ANC members, rejecting the opposition’s request for an urgent debate.
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The ANC had written to the speaker, ahead of the sitting, to request a debate on “a matter of public importance in today’s sitting”.
Rule 144 of the Provincial Parliament’s Standing Rules allows members to call for debates on matters of urgent public importance.
The leader of the opposition in the province, Cameron Dugmore, wanted the house to be temporarily suspended for 20 minutes after Schäfer announced the request was rejected.
But Schäfer stuck to her guns, refusing an adjournment for the ANC to consult with other parties.
Schäfer said Mnqasela had replied to Dugmore’s letter, stating the request did not fall into the purview of Rule 144 and that the programme committee had not been made aware of the request.
Dugmore said they were concerned about the implications of, and the state of dysfunction, within the legislature as a result of the internal DA divisions currently being witnessed, as well as the impact these divisions and dysfunctionality were having on service delivery in the province.
By Malema’s logic, Parliament should move to the rural Free State – or maybe Lesotho
Dugmore and Schafer were subsequently locked in a rowdy screaming match, after Dugmore accused the deputy speaker of refusing to grant the debate.
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