At a parliamentary committee hearing on Monday into the Economic Freedom Fighters's (EFF's) conduct during President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address (SoNA) earlier this year, party leader Julius Malema accused Parliament of "every time bringing a white man to deal with them".

The Powers and Privileges Committee began its hearing into the 9 February SoNA incident in which EFF MPs stormed onto the stage as they were ordered to leave the chamber.

The EFF's top brass, which included Malema, Floyd Shivambu, Marshall Dlamini, Vuyani Pambo, and Sinawo Thambo, were all present in the virtual meeting while their legal representatives were in Parliament.

Before the start of the proceedings on Monday, the initiator, advocate Anton Katz, SC, and advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi, SC, discussed the opening of the meeting.

Ngcukaitobi is representing the EFF MPs.

When the proceedings started, they briefly outlined how the meeting would proceed.

But as Katz continued, a furious Malema interjected.

"It is not the responsibility of the initiator to tell us how to run proceedings here. You can't tell us how to run proceedings here as to how many minutes and who is not going to interrupt which person. You can't tell us that. You have no role to tell us that."

Malema added, "It's a problem, this thing; that you hire minorities when you are targeting Africans. You did that with the Public Protector [impeachment proceedings], now you bring a white man here."

"This thing of bringing white people to come and prosecute us. We are being prosecuted by a white man here. We will not be persecuted by a white [man]. He is a well-known DA lawyer and I nor the EFF will be persecuted by a white man," he said.

He told the chairperson of the committee, Violet Sizani Siwela, to make a ruling.

Siwela stopped Katz and assured the committee that she would chair the meeting.

Malema recused his legal team from the meeting, and the EFF MPs left. The proceedings continued in their absence.

Meanwhile, Ngcukaitobi brought an application to postpone the proceedings until January next year.

He also told the committee that he would look at subpoenaing Ramaphosa to ascertain if he felt threatened on that day.

The EFF also wants the committee to be chaired by a retired judge or advocate who can act independently.

Ngcukaitobi argued that the accused EFF leaders would be subject to a political machine dominated by the ANC.

Ngcukaitobi said, "You, as the committee, cannot be a judge in your own courts. It is important that there should be no reasonable perception that you are biased against the EFF."

In response, Katz said the committee should get on with its business.

"The committee should make its final recommendation, table it in the House, and after that, let whoever deems it appropriate challenge the validity. That is how these things are done," he said.

In the incident earlier this year, EFF MPs started raising several points of order minutes after Ramaphosa began the SoNA.

National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula ordered the MPs to leave the chamber, and as they walked out, some of them stormed onto the stage.

Within seconds, Parliamentary Protection Services officers stopped the EFF MPs from getting to Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa's bodyguards and the heavily armed tactical police officers wrestled with some of the MPs, including Malema.

Malema and his henchmen were suspended without pay for a period not exceeding 30 days.