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Police recruited to defend Zuma from MPs

President Jacob Zuma. Picture Credit: Gallo Images
President Jacob Zuma. Picture Credit: Gallo Images

Parliament confirmed today that it had recruited police to serve as security inside the institution‚ under newly adopted rules to deal with “disruptions” from MPs who can now be removed from the debating chamber by the “parliamentary protection services”.

Baleka Mbete‚ Speaker of the National Assembly‚ said in a statement today that South African Police Services officers had been recruited by parliament.

The police officers who were hired have resigned from the police force and signed on as parliamentary employees‚ the brief statement said.

This comes as Parliament is bracing itself for a potentially fiery debate this afternoon when President Jacob Zuma takes questions from MPs.

When the corruption-related charges against him were struck from the roll by the High Court in Polokwane this week‚ Economic Freedom Fighters’ leader Julius Malema stressed that he would be facing Zuma this afternoon as a vindicated leader who has successfully faced his day in court.

The EFF last night had “free advice” for Mbete and a warning to Parliament ahead of Zuma’s appearance in the National Assembly.

The EFF’s Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi said in a statement the “Speaker of Parliament…must come prepared to tell Zuma to answer the question as to when is he going to pay back the money unduly spent in Nkandla”.

And‚ the party warned‚ the use of might wouldn’t stop it from asking it.

“The EFF would like to reiterate that it will never be intimidated by all these efforts by the African National Congress-controlled parliament to use force and protect Zuma against a question‚” Ndlozi said.

Yesterday over the lunch hour‚ almost a dozen burly bouncer types were seen being issued with parliamentary permits in the institution’s permit office‚ and word quickly spread in the institution that they would be used to chuck out the EFF.

In total about 30 strongly built individuals were counted walking around in the parliamentary precinct in a military manner with their parliamentary documentation universally grasped in the left hand.

Acting parliamentary spokesperson Estelle Randall refused to answer whether these individuals were going to be in action in the National Assembly this afternoon.

Parliament has‚ over the past few weeks‚ constantly refused to comment on questions about rumblings in its protection services including the training and widely reported and witnessed recruiting of members of the public order policing unit into parliamentary protection services.

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