Parly riot cops 'were disguised as white shirts'

Parliamentary officials have emphatically denied there were police in the National Assembly on Thursday night.

But the Sunday Times can confirm, based on information from several separate and independent sources in the security forces, that as many as 60 public order protection police from across the country were deployed into parliament on the night of President Jacob Zuma's tumultuous state of the nation address.

The riot police were transported in minibuses and a police truck normally used for prisoners.

The order for their deployment is said to have come from the national police headquarters, which surprised parliamentary security staff.

"At about 10.30am on Thursday, they [public order police] were taken to the parliamentary parking lot in Hope Street, about 150m from the parliamentary entrance," a source said.

The parking lot had been cleared of cars and a tent had been erected there.

Some police personnel changed in the tent into the black and white clothing reserved for chamber staff - who are more commonly referred to as parliament's "bouncers".

Other police were kitted out in riot gear. They then all went to parliament.

Some of the policemen disguised as parliamentary "bouncers" were stationed inside the chamber and others were put on standby in nearby rooms. Most of those wearing riot gear were held in reserve in the underground parking garage.

"Some police were stationed in specific rooms near the National Assembly. They drank copious amounts of Red Bull for a caffeine rush," a source said.

"They were psyching up each other verbally and doing warm-up exercises."

The riot police helped chamber staff forcibly remove EFF MPs from the chamber.

They were brought in after intelligence sources received information that the EFF wanted parliament evacuated to disrupt Zuma's address.

Parliament yesterday denied that there was police presence in the National Assembly despite evidence to the contrary.

Police presence in the National Assembly is in breach of an order of the High Court in Cape Town, which declared it unconstitutional for police to remove MPs from the chamber during a sitting.

Police spokesman Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo yesterday referred all questions to parliament.

Parliament spokesman Manelisi Wolela insisted that "only members of the parliamentary protection services entered the chamber to execute a directive of the presiding officers to assist some MPs to leave the chamber. Parliament rejects the suggestion or allegation that police had entered the National Assembly chamber to remove MPs."

He added that parliament was aware of the legal implications of doing this and the high court judgment.

Sources said the security clampdown was sparked when intelligence officials anticipated an EFF plan to mobilise its supporters to storm back into parliament once its MPs were kicked out of the National Assembly.

Intelligence officials had also expected the EFF to disrupt proceedings and create chaos to force an evacuation of parliament.

Sources said the authorities were planning to pin the blame on the EFF for the presence of a powdery substance, which has similar effects as teargas or pepper spray, that was released in parliament's public gallery.

It was let off when EFF MPs were brawling with security staff.

A source with knowledge of intelligence claimed the substance was the brainchild of the EFF.

EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi dismissed the claim as "absolute rubbish".

He said: "It is clear they're trying to blame us for everything - even the traffic mess - to divert attention from their despicable actions."

One section of the public gallery in the National Assembly was affected, causing guests to cough and become teary eyed.

Pictures from the public gallery show that the substance was kept in a white piece of paper which was later doused in water by parliamentary security.

A highly placed source said it was easy for the powder to have been smuggled into parliament as scanners were unable to detect powdery substances.

TV viewers were shocked at the force used against EFF MPs, several of whom were left injured, when ordered out of the chamber.

EFF MP Delisile Ngwenya was admitted to hospital after sustaining injuries to her upper jaw. MPs Ndlozi and Godrich Gardee were left bleeding from the head and knee respectively after mounting a fightback.

Julius Malema was also injured.

Ndlozi said the EFF caucus was deciding whether to press charges, noting that all previous charges filed following violence in parliament had gone nowhere.

"The authorities are compromised. They act on orders from above. They are out to harm us. The only solution is to impeach the president and beat the ANC at the ballot box," he said.

By Friday afternoon, parliamentary staff were repairing four badly damaged monitors, two benches and door hinges smashed during Thursday night's fist fight.

The DA went to court after Mmusi Maimane said the future of the country's democracy depended on the ANC being removed from power.

"The ANC ... is dead," Maimane said.

Maimane said the DA would work with all opposition forces to dislodge the "venal" ANC from power in the 2019 elections.

The DA has filed an application in the High Court in Cape Town seeking a declaration that the deployment of South African National Defence Force members in the parliamentary precinct for non-ceremonial purposes was unconstitutional.

DA federal executive chairman James Selfe said party sources had evidence of wrongdoing. "There are police who we can identify because we know them, and we have pictures of armed military police, with live ammunition, on the precinct of parliament."

Unisa legal expert Marinus Wiechers said Speaker Baleka Mbete and acting police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane were responsible if the actions were illegal.

joubertj@sundaytimes.co.za; hunterq@sundaytimes.co.za