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Parliament welcomes the Western Cape High Court's decision to strike off the roll the Economic Freedom Fighters' (EFF) application in the matter of the suspension of EFF members who disrupted the State of the Nation Address in February 2023.
 
The EFF had requested the court's leniency in accepting the late filing of their replies to the affidavit for the National Assembly and their Heads of Arguments in the matter.
 
Last year, Parliament endorsed the recommendation from the Powers and Privileges Committee to suspend six EFF members, Julius Malema, Floyd Shivambu, Marshall Dlamini, Sinawo Tambo, Vuyani Pambo, and Dr. Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, for contempt of Parliament. They had defied the Speaker's order to leave the Chamber during the disruption and had to be forcibly removed by the Parliament Security Services.
 
We concur with the majority judgement that the responsibility lies with the applicant, in this case, the EFF, to ensure that they adhere to court rules and have a well-prepared case that is ripe for hearing. The EFF's imposed unreasonable timeframes and their filing on midnight before the next court day not only inconvenienced Parliament and the Court but also indicated their lack of readiness for their application to be heard.
 
The EFF's application was dismissed with costs. The suspensions of the six EFF members are effective from Thursday, 1 February to 29 February.

Issued by Parliament of South Africa