As the EFF protested outside Parliament, MPs and guests arrived on the red carpet ahead of this year’s State of the Nation address.
Apart from the big speech, the red carpet - and who is hot versus a hot mess - has become the second big talking point about the prestigious event.
As the guests trickled into the house, Zuma finally arrived in his cavalcade that traversed the streets of the Cape Town CBD amid concerns after the Presidency’s decision to deploy 441 members of the South African National Defence Force.
The pomp and ceremony included a 21 gun salute and singing of the national anthem.
Praise singer Given Lubisi, 11, led the procession into Parliament, but the president did not receive a courteous welcome with EFF members chanting 'tsotsi' as he walked in.
But it was opposition MPs and not Zuma who kicked proceedings off at the official opening of Parliament‚ raising various points of order.
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The house erupted in chaos as members of the EFF used their hard hats as missiles after parliamentary protection services members were called in to remove them from the National Assembly as screams of "f**k you" rang out from ANC benches.
Fists, safety helmets and bricks came to the party. They came out of the House screaming, followed by a large group of parliamentary protection services members.
About 30 public order police, in full riot gear, met them as they exited, leading to a tense stand-off outside Parliament.
The 'F**k you!' the moment everyone's talking about left Parliament's sign language translator at a loss as to how to interpret the expletive - but he did so dutifully. The Democratic Alliance soon after staged a walkout in protest against the presence of soldiers in the parliamentary precinct and the firing of pepper spray in the public gallery.
Parliament’s acting spokesperson‚ Manelisi Wolela‚ said on Friday morning that the “powder” that was dropped from the public gallery did not originate from its protection services personnel.
“It seems this pepper spray‚ when some members were being taken out of the house‚ somebody dropped in something… which acted like a pepper spray‚ which created so much discomfort amongst so many people that were there‚” he told Radio 702.
"Finally!" Zuma exclaimed as he began his much-delayed State of the Nation speech.
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