Why did the clerk of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) refuse to read the open letter from the African Union in the session on Tuesday? The chaos that ensued for and against the rotation of the PAP presidency across the geopolitical regions of the continent is shameful.

The French-speaking members of the Ecowas region in West Africa, supported by other Francophone regions of Central and North Africa, have bigger numbers to control the PAP presidency. 

The English-speaking SADC and East Africa, together with their Arab-speaking ally Egypt, have little chance against Ecowas, which can also rely on the support of the some of the English-speaking countries in West Africa. 

The whole election furore exposed deep-seated differences inspired by regionalism and languages of former colonisers. Even religious affiliation does not help, as seen with the division between Muslim MPs from Egypt and Mali.  

The ANC and EFF members were put in their minority seats, after the collusion by SADC countries for rotation was defeated. 

The aligned SABC foreign correspondent failed to spin or misrepresent the so-called language divide by Thandi Modise. All the chaos that ensued in PAP this week is paradox of AU.

Nelson Wawa Mpinga, Mthatha