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After instructing several EFF MPs to take their seats, without success, he called on the sergeant-at-arms and the so-called “gorillas” of parliament to expel the disruptive MPs from the session.
During the noisy session, EFF MPs approached Gordhan, who was on the podium to cast the vote on his department’s budget, after one of their own, Sam Matiase, declared that they would not allow Gordhan to deliver the speech.
They argued that the minister should not speak out because he was a “constitutional criminal” after adverse findings against him by the public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane about his role in the alleged establishment of the “rogue unit” of the Sars.
“He just moved to the member on the podium [Gordhan]. I’ve never seen that before. He was approaching the minister and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I was scared because there was already a threat that this man was not going to speak today. Perhaps the threat was developing. I couldn’t just wait, ”Borotho said as he explained why he repeatedly asked the sergeant-at-arms and chamber support officers to expel the disruptive MPs from the EFF.
Borotho said she panicked when EFF MPs approached Gordhan, and she couldn’t see what exactly they were doing to her, but she could hear Gordhan challenging them to touch him.
“Actually, I didn’t see why there were many members in front of the minister. What I could hear was the minister saying: ‘Let them touch me, let them touch me.’
Borotho said that because of Gordhan’s words, he thought that the EFF MPs were possibly touching or approaching him, and that someone else was trying to protect Gordhan.
He said if Gordhan had been physically assaulted, it would have “turned out very badly” and would have been bad for the image of parliament.
Borotho was one of the three witnesses summoned by the committee.
The other two, Collen Mahlangu, undersecretary of the National Assembly bureau and Tebello Maleeme, the acting sergeant-at-arms who were on duty that day, told the hearing that, unlike other interruptions in parliament, this had been unusual. because EFF MPs physically charged Gordhan.
Both said they were shocked by the events.
Sixteen EFF MPs face contempt of parliament positions for their role in the disruption, which saw Gordhan escorted off the podium.
The EFF has threatened to go to court to challenge the parliamentary laws and regulations on which the institution relies to discipline its deputies. the The party also wants a retired judge or senior attorney to preside over the process, saying the current composition of the parliament’s powers and privileges committee would unfairly harm EFF members.
The committee will meet next month for final arguments.
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