EFF's Shivambu faces parliament disciplinary committee for saying 'Zuma will kill'

EFF MP Floyd Shivambu looks set to become the first MP to face a disciplinary committee established under Parliament's new rules for his statements last year that President Jacob Zuma would arrest and kill ANC MPs.

The Speaker announced in Thursday’s Parliamentary Announcements‚ Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC) document that the remarks made by Shivambu during the November motion of no confidence in Zuma would be referred to the disciplinary committee.

According to Parliament's new rules adopted last year‚ the committee "must investigate any alleged misconduct by a member" and report back to the Speaker.

During his speech‚ Shivambu called Zuma a "post-colonial disaster" and compared him to African dictators.

He said: "One of the common traits of these people‚ they seek to enrich their families. They seek to undermine the rule of law. They prosecute and persecute their political opponents‚ including members of their own party. And when everything else has failed‚ they kill. They assassinate their opponents."

• Shivambu will use rules of parliament to tackle ZumaEconomic Freedom Fighters deputy president Floyd Shivambu said that the party's campaign for President Jacob Zuma to pay back taxpayer funds spent on his private Nkandla homestead was a battle for the poor‚ not "just an elite battle" before the Constitutional Court.

Turning to the ANC benches‚ he said: "Before you know it‚ he would have captured everything. After he has dealt with everyone else‚ he is going to arrest you. He is going to arrest all of you‚ he is going to lock you up‚ he is going to kill you. He has nothing to lose now."

Deputy speaker Lechesa Tsenoli‚ who was chairing the sitting‚ told Shivambu to withdraw the statement but he refused. Tsenoli said at the time that the violation was serious and he would be referring it to the committee.

The committee's membership was finalised late last month. It includes ANC MP Amos Mahlalela‚ the DA's John Steenhuisen‚ EFF MP Hlengiwe Hlophe‚ the IFP's Narend Singh‚ Corne Mulder of the Freedom Front Plus and Cheryllyn Dudley of the ACDP. The committee is chaired by the deputy speaker.

Shivambu said on Thursday that he was aware that he would be facing the committee but had not been contacted with details about when this would be.

He said he stood by the statements.

"I'm not going to withdraw anything‚" he said.