Johannesburg - Members of Parliament will today continue their debate on the State of the Nation Address (Sona) after opposition parties lambasted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address, and some went as far as calling for him to resign.
The opposition parties spent most of yesterday tearing apart Ramaphosa’s address over the power crisis, the electricity minister, failed SOEs and the high level of crime.
Ramaphosa will address issues raised by MPs later today on the second day of the joint debate on Sona, which is taking place in the Cape Town City Hall, Western Cape.
EFF leader Julius Malema said the country will not get to know what happened to slain artists AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and DJ Sumbody because police bosses were in cahoots with the criminals.
In a press briefing on Monday, AKA’s family announced that his memorial service will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton and that the burial will be on Saturday at a private ceremony.
AKA was gunned down together with his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane outside a restaurant in Florida Road, Durban, last Friday in a suspected hit.
“For as long as the leadership of the police is working with criminals, we will never defeat crime in this country. It is the responsibility of the so-called president to remove Police Minister Bheki Cele with immediate effect because he has failed the people of South Africa,” said Malema.
He further said: “What happened to DJ Sumbody and AKA, we will never get to know because the higher echelons of the police are in cahoots with the criminal syndicate. We cannot fight crime while being led by criminals; we must first get rid of them in order to defeat crime. May AKA’s soul rest in peace and haunt all these people who have made it so difficult for him to live long,” Malema said.
South Africans took to social media, including Twitter, and some stated that they agreed with Malema for the first time.
“For the first time, Malema was on point and telling the truth,” said Sollee Tshediso.
Another user, Siphesihle Mkhabela, said police had failed to find slain soccer star Senzo Meyiwa’s killers.
Malema also criticised Ramaphosa, saying nothing was working under his leadership and demanding that he resign.
“The reality is, Mr President, nothing is working under you. You are a man on top and doing nothing, and it is very irresponsible for a man to be on top and do nothing. The reality of the situation is that you went against the advice we gave you when you started as the president to listen to your own organisation. Your own organisation said put Eskom under energy; what did you do? You went to a separate kitchen cabinet and created a ministry of electricity, which does not derive from the resolutions of your own organisation,” Malema said.
During the debate, DA leader John Steenhuisen said Ramaphosa’s government was worse than that of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma.
“President, you are somehow guilty of something even worse than the thing that you once accused Zuma of, for president Zuma presided over nine wasted years, you sir presided over the disastrous year,” Steenhuisen said.
Cele accused Steenhuisen of being an abuser.
“Mr Steenhuisen, we want to hear you apologising for abusing a young woman who came to work in your office; she was the wife of your colleague, and you took her and divorced your own wife. You took that young girl; she’s your wife today, but women around you are not saying anything, and you come on this podium and talk about GBV, so you better go and fix yourself,” Cele said.
Cele was criticised and forced to withdraw his remark.
Malema also jumped in and said Cele had nothing to do with Steenhuisen’s marital life.
When the House concluded the debate, the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Amos Masondo, made a ruling on the matter and said Cele had already sent a message that he wished to apologise.
Masondo ordered Cele to stand up and withdraw, and indeed, Cele did withdraw.
The Star