{"id":65085,"date":"2014-11-14T11:30:45","date_gmt":"2014-11-14T11:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=65085"},"modified":"2014-11-14T11:30:45","modified_gmt":"2014-11-14T11:30:45","slug":"south-africa-police-scuffle-mps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/11\/south-africa-police-scuffle-mps\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa police scuffle with MPs"},"content":{"rendered":"
South African riot police clashed with MPs hours after parliament absolved President Jacob Zuma over the use of some $23m (\u00a314m) of state money to upgrade his private home in Nkandla.<\/p>\n
They intervened after opposition MP Ngwanamakwetle Mashabela repeatedly called Mr Zuma a thief.<\/p>\n
Four opposition MPs were injured in the scuffle during the late-night session.<\/p>\n
In April, the country’s corruption investigator said Mr Zuma had “unduly benefited” from the improvements.<\/p>\n
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela also accused him of unethical conduct and recommended he repay costs for some of the unnecessary renovations of his rural home in Nkandla, KwaZulu Natal province.<\/p>\n
But a parliamentary committee report – passed by a majority of African National Congress (ANC) MPs on Thursday – absolved Mr Zuma of any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
There were heated scenes before the vote, as MPs from several opposition parties attempted to filibuster the session in Cape Town’s parliament.<\/p>\n
Ms Mashabela, a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, made her comments in one of the debates that followed.<\/p>\n
“President Zuma is a thief. He is a criminal. He is the greatest thief in the world,” she said.<\/p>\n
When she refused to withdraw the statement and refused to be removed from the chamber by an official, the riot police intervened.<\/p>\n
By this stage the parliamentary TV feed was cut.<\/p>\n
Scuffles broke out between officers on the one side and MPs from the opposition Democratic Alliance and the EFF on the other.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South African riot police clashed with MPs hours after parliament absolved President Jacob Zuma over the use of some $23m (\u00a314m) of state money to upgrade his private home in Nkandla. They intervened after opposition MP Ngwanamakwetle Mashabela repeatedly called Mr Zuma a thief. Four opposition MPs were injured in the scuffle during the late-night […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":65086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[14],"yoast_head":"\n