Brawl in South Africa's Parliament as MPs are ejected

BBC Africa May - 18 - 2016 , 06:42

Punches were thrown in South Africa’s Parliament as parliamentary security guards forcibly ejected members of the ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party from the chamber. This is the second brawl in Parliament this month.

Members of the EFF party had tried to stop President Jacob Zuma from speaking, the latest in their protests against him.

President Zuma looked on as members of Julius Malema's EFF party raised objections before being evicted from Parliament during his question and answer session in Cape Town.

Pictures from Parliament showed the guards surrounding the EFF MPs, dressed in red boiler suits.

Mr Zuma had been under increasing pressure since a court ruled in March he had violated the Constitution in failing to pay back public money used to upgrade his rural home.

The EFF argued that President Zuma was not fit to address the house after recent court decisions against him.

"We are going to put our lives in defense of this Constitution. Zuma will never find peace in this parliament... We cannot be led by a man who failed to uphold, defend and protect the constitution," EFF leader Julius Malema told reporters after he was ejected from the assembly.