S’Africa MPs scuffle during presidential address

South Africa’s parliament descended into chaos as
opposition members of parliament were removed by
force after disrupting President Jacob Zuma’s annual
address, an unprecedented sign of discontent at his
administration.
The president’s first State of the Nation speech since
his re-election last May had been billed as an
opportunity to highlight the achievements of the ruling
African National Congress (ANC) and its plans for the
year ahead.
But he received a hostile reception from MPs from the
leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by former
ANC youth leader Julius Malema, who started to
challenge him about corruption allegations.
Zuma had barely begun speaking on Thursday when EFF
members began interrupting, demanding to ask the
president about when he would repay part of a $23m
state-funded security upgrade of his rural home.
A clearly angry Speaker, Baleka Mbete, warned several
EFF members to sit down before ordering that they be
removed by security officers, prompting a brief brawl
in which several people were injured, witnesses said.
“We have seen that we are part of a police state,”
Malema, whose T-shirt was torn in the fracas, told
reporters after being bundled out of parliament.
MPs from the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA)
also left the chamber.
Zuma then delivered his speech to claps and cheers of
support from ANC politicians as he highlighted the
strides South Africa has made since the end of white-
minority rule two decades ago.