In an interview with news channel ANN7 after the incident, Mngxitama said people had learnt from the ANC to beat each other up for holding different views.

"We see political parties are at war because they do not want to hear the truth about themselves... we're going to break down this culture of being allergic to the truth," he told the broadcaster.

Mngxitama has been at loggerheads with the party leadership following the tense elective conference in December last year.

He declined nomination and told Malema to "protect the revolution" during the conference. His "revolutionary consciousness" would not allow him to accept nomination, he said then.

Mngxitama had to be escorted out of a hotel in Cape Town where he was due to hold a press conference ahead of the state-of-the-nation address.

According to Mngxitama's press alert sent earlier, the press briefing would clarify "Why some of the EFF MP's can't sing #paybackthemoney".

Last week, Mngxitama criticised the EFF for allowing convicted North West party leader Papiki Babuile to run the party from behind bars.

Babuile was recently convicted of the murder of African National Congress regional secretary David Chika in 2012. He is appealing against his 12-year sentence.