Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema and his 19 MPs have challenged the ANC to find them guilty for disrupting President Jacob Zuma's reply to questions in parliament recently.
Malema and his MPs, who face charges related to contempt of parliament, yesterday refused to take part in disciplinary proceedings led against them by the powers and privileges committee.
If found guilty Malema and his MPs could be suspended from parliament for a maximum of 30 days without pay, the harshest possible sentence.
The EFF MPs argued that the committee amounted to an "ANC kangaroo court" .
When the committee met yesterday the EFF MPs pulled every trick in the book to frustrate proceedings, even taking the step of demanding the deployment of language practitioners to provide translations to lawmakers with "linguistic difficulties".
Malema argued that the parliamentary committee was "illegitimate and unconstitutional".
The EFF leader said it was unjust for his MPs to be put on trial by a majority of ANC MPs, who were their political opponents and could not be impartial in the matter.
"What justice and fairness should EFF expect in a process where the judge is the ANC, the complainant is the ANC, the witness is the ANC, the prosecutor is the ANC and the decision-maker is the ANC. You may as well hold this hearing at Luthuli House," he said before walking out with his MPs.
As they left the meeting they chanted; "Don't hurry the fight, because it kills."
Senior ANC MPs hit back by accusing Malema of "political grandstanding".
"He can't come in and make a broad, sweeping political statement ... grandstanding on political issues and not answering to the charges he's agreed to," said ANC MP Richard Mdakane.
But the IFP's Albert Mcwango said Malema's arguments could not be ignored, and the committee would "have to consider them in its deliberations".
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