This follows a meeting last week in which a recording was listened to and ANC MPL Christian Martin was found to have contravened provincial legislature rules.

The meeting was attended by leaders of opposition parties, speaker Fikile Xasa, chairman of committees Alfred Mtsi, ANC chief whip Humphrey Maxhegwana and deputy chief whip Michael Peter.

"The speaker will reprimand Martin in the next sitting. Martin will also have to apologise unconditionally to the members for his behaviour," Peter said.

He said his party would first hear what type of reprimand the speaker would impose before taking action.

"We do not encourage abusive language in the house. However, Martin was provoked into reacting the way he did," he said in Martin's defence.

He then attacked the opposition parties and said "their walkout was unnecessary and unwarranted. We are, however, very concerned by the opposition's behaviour".

Opposition parties in the Eastern Cape legislature walked out of a house sitting after being called "peacocks" and other derogatory names in a sitting early this month.

The sitting, on Friday October 12, in Humansdorp, became disorderly when ANC MPLs allegedly started calling members of the opposition names instead of discussing a social needs cluster report.

The opposition parties then walked out. This resulted in the social cluster report not being adopted. The report was on the state of hospitals, schools and other projects in the Humansdorp area.

The report highlighted funding and management problems.

Legislature spokeswoman Bulelwa Ganyaza said Xasa, who is handling the Martin matter, would work with all the leaders of political parties in the legislature.

"The legislature can confirm that the matter has been reasonably resolved. According to the rules of the legislature, the presiding officers will make a ruling on the matter on the next sitting of the house," Ganyaza said.

UDM MPL Max Mhlati welcomed the ruling by Xasa and confirmed that Martin had been instructed to apologise.

"Xasa will reprimand him in the next house sitting," Mhlati said. - mphumziz@dispatch.co.za

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Sun May 19 15:16:54 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 24, 2012

Seja-Bana

thats politics
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

Tlakenyobehle!

cheap politiking
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

PigSty

AMAZING HOW WHEN THE anc MAKE SLURS THEY ARE PROVOKED INTO SUCH BEHAVIOUR BUT NOT WHEN OPPOSITION PARTIES MAKE SLURS. Double standards from the ruining party of SA
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

cornelius

Oh please, this Peter fellow says that Martin must apologose ' unconditionally" yet, he makes his own statement that such abusive behavious will not be condoned , subject to the rider that Martin was provoked. Also, if there was cause for Martin to apologise unconditionally, it means the opposition parties had just cause to walk out - no -one can be compelled to sit and listen to insults.
This Peter chap is a prize chump.
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

!#Sinudeity#!

Cocky motherf***er :P
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

Lungu

Most of the ANC guys think they are big and clever, they think stealing money from us and killing each other make's their world shame on this i*d*i*o*t*s.
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

lindsay

i wonder when are they going to deliver services after they knock each out if those insults were service delivery no one would be complaining
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

RobinHH

bunch of juveniles. And this calibre of person is supposedly a leader. What a joke!
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

oldlady12

Peacocks with scruffy feet. Very descriptive of so many of our politicians, is it not?
Report Abuse

Oct 24, 2012

PigSty

Could someone please explain why the term peacock is considered a slur?
Report Abuse

Read all 13 comments