(Bloomberg) – South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma approved the deployment of the country’s army to maintain order during the opening of parliament this week.
The police and 441 members of the South African National Defence Force will be stationed at the parliament buildings until Feb. 10, the Presidency said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday. Zuma is scheduled to deliver his opening address, which was disrupted by opposition parties inside and outside the assembly last year, on Thursday.
SANDF’s presence at SONA ‘declaration of war’ – EFF
By Iavan Pijoos
Johannesburg – Political parties on Tuesday questioned the legality of President Jacob Zuma’s move to have 441 soldiers help police maintain “law and order” at the opening of Parliament.
“Actions of JZ in deploying the army can’t be legal, violate the separation of powers, 4 personal use. I have asked our legal team to engage,” DA leader Mmusi Maimane tweeted.
Party spokesperson Mabine Seabe said the party would demand answers about the purpose and cost of the deployment.
The presidency said in a statement that the SA National Defence Force members would help SAPS “maintain law and order” during Zuma’s State of the Nation Address on Thursday.
The EFF said the move was a “declaration of war” on the country’s citizens.
“The military are people who get deployed for war and whose training is about killing the enemies of the state,” spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said.
The country had a duty to defend Parliament as a house of the people. It did not belong to Zuma, he said.
“Zuma has no constitutional mandate to impose law and order on Parliament; this is a direct violation of the separation of powers. Parliament’s precinct must be respected as sacrosanct, with only the Speaker, in consultation with Members of Parliament, who can authorise security measures, not Zuma.”
No amount of security and intimidation would stop the EFF from holding Zuma accountable in terms of the Constitution, Ndlozi said.
Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos said it was a breach of the separation of powers.
“The executive cannot deploy the army to another branch of government – the legislature. Imagine if the president deployed 450 soldiers to the Constitutional Court while it was busy deciding whether the ‘State of Capture’ report was valid. In both cases, it would be an outrage,” he said.
Will a show of force make us safer? Or is it the work of insecure & fearful leaders whose paranoia threatens everyone’s freedoms? #SONA2017
— Right2Know (@r2kcampaign) February 7, 2017
Will a show of force make us safer? Or is it the work of insecure & fearful leaders whose paranoia threatens everyone’s freedoms? #SONA2017
— Right2Know (@r2kcampaign) February 7, 2017
#SONA2017 Preparations… pic.twitter.com/qIY5V7swbI
— Mabine Seabe II (@Mabine_Seabe) February 7, 2017
#SONA2017 Preparations… pic.twitter.com/qIY5V7swbI
— Mabine Seabe II (@Mabine_Seabe) February 7, 2017
Actions of JZ in deploying the army can’t be legal, violate the separation of powers, 4 personal use. I have asked our legal team to engage https://t.co/jTPlf36d6F
— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) February 7, 2017
Actions of JZ in deploying the army can't be legal, violate the separation of powers, 4 personal use. I have asked our legal team to engage https://t.co/jTPlf36d6F
— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) February 7, 2017
Best sign of a dictator yet: deployment of the army no the people. Zuma is planning murder, but we are not deterred! #Asijiki pic.twitter.com/jKd8iocSfI
— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) February 7, 2017
Best sign of a dictator yet: deployment of the army no the people. Zuma is planning murder, but we are not deterred! #Asijiki pic.twitter.com/jKd8iocSfI
— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) February 7, 2017
News24
Source: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/sandfs-presence-at-sona-declaration-of-war-eff-20170207
