Chaos ensues at another Sopa — and EFF is at the centre again
Similar scenes played out during the Gauteng premier's state of the province address earlier this week
Image: The Times/Moeletsi Mabe
Another state of the province address (Sopa) descended into chaos in less than a week, with the EFF again smack in the middle of the disruption.
The latest incident happened on Thursday when Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane held his Sopa at the Abbotsford Christian Centre in East London.
In video clips circulating from live news broadcasts, EFF members rush to the podium as Mabuyane makes his address, angrily gesturing at him while security personnel push them back.
A scuffle then breaks out between them and security, with one EFF MPL seen throwing punches as he is pushed back.
The EFF members were removed from the event.
A similar scene played out on Monday during Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi's Sopa.
Water bottles and chairs flew as a scuffle erupted between EFF MPLs and crime wardens at the Nasrec expo centre.
The fight was apparently sparked by opposition parties' objection to their presence at the venue.
DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga also raised the issue of the presence of “a paramilitary [unit] standing in front of members of the legislature with guns”.