The presence of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Parliament since 2014 has undoubtedly brought some life into an otherwise usually staid institution.
Over the years, we have seen the red berets lock horns with former president Jacob Zuma, mainly over the taxpayer-funded security and cosmetic upgrades to his home in Nkandla.
With President Cyril Ramaphosa taking over in February, the EFF – just like the DA – finds it a little harder to get attention. So it resorts to vile gimmicks.
Take this week’s example of EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu uttering an overtly racist statement – and then defending his racism.
In a finance committee meeting to discuss Treasury matters, Shivambu asked why the department was “always” represented by deputy director-general Ismail Momoniat.
“Our issue that is of genuine political concern is that Treasury is led by a director-general who is an African. But there it looks like there are deliberate attempts to undermine African leadership in Treasury.”
He accused Momoniat of being part of an Indian cabal that allegedly manipulated the Mass Democratic Movement in the 1980s.
Shivambu’s comments earned him outrage and scorn from many quarters. In his attempt to be relevant, Shivambu forgot to do his job as a parliamentarian: oversight. The issue is this – does Treasury’s representative know what he or she is talking about and can he or she enlighten MPs about the department’s workings?
Shivambu’s statement was not just an insult to Momoniat, it was an insult to Momoniat’s colleagues, including the director-general, who Shivambu is accusing of having an inferiority complex. It was plain racism and the EFF’s failure to call its deputy president to account was appalling.