“The hall will be suitable because it is spacious and closer to all the parliamentary villages where most MPs reside,” said the party.
The EFF said its call for the relocation of parliament to Tshwane was logically superior.
“It will mean the ministers, president, institutions, departments and agencies that account to parliament will not waste money travelling to Cape Town to be held accountable,” it said.
“Additionally, a parliament in Tshwane will make it easier for civil society formations and communities to make oral submissions to laws before parliament because it will be possible for people from Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape to drive in and out of Tshwane to make oral submissions to laws and lodge petitions and return home on the same day.”
The party called on all political parties and the presiding officers to agree on the option of Oliver Tambo Hall in Khayelitsha as a temporary place for all National Assembly plenary sessions.
“Our demand, which we will do everything to realise, is that parliament must be fully reopened and all members must physically meet to fulfil their constitutional obligations.”
‘MPs must meet physically to conduct business’: EFF reiterates call for parliament to be fully reopened
Image: Brenton Geach
The EFF has reiterated its call for parliament to be fully reopened for MPs to meet physically to pass legislation and conduct their oversight of the executive.
The Old Assembly and National Assembly wings were closed after the buildings were gutted by a fire in January.
According to Xolile George, newly appointed secretary to the national legislature, the department of public works and infrastructure estimated it would cost R1.4bn to reconstruct the two most critical buildings, with another R600m needed to replace damaged furniture, ICT infrastructure and other facilities.
In a statement, the EFF demanded that the temporary measures due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations be immediately suspended and parliament fully reopened because the regulations are no longer applicable.
“In the meeting which was supposed to be physically held with the Speaker of the National Assembly and attended by all chief whips, the EFF proposed one of the immediate measures must be the use of the Oliver Tambo community hall in Khayelitsha as a temporary place for the National Assembly plenary sessions.
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“The hall will be suitable because it is spacious and closer to all the parliamentary villages where most MPs reside,” said the party.
The EFF said its call for the relocation of parliament to Tshwane was logically superior.
“It will mean the ministers, president, institutions, departments and agencies that account to parliament will not waste money travelling to Cape Town to be held accountable,” it said.
“Additionally, a parliament in Tshwane will make it easier for civil society formations and communities to make oral submissions to laws before parliament because it will be possible for people from Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape to drive in and out of Tshwane to make oral submissions to laws and lodge petitions and return home on the same day.”
The party called on all political parties and the presiding officers to agree on the option of Oliver Tambo Hall in Khayelitsha as a temporary place for all National Assembly plenary sessions.
“Our demand, which we will do everything to realise, is that parliament must be fully reopened and all members must physically meet to fulfil their constitutional obligations.”
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