EFF demands end to virtual parliament and South Africans trolled the party

• The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) demand an end to virtual parliamentary participation, calling for a return to physical sittings
• South Africans have trolled the party on social media, highlighting the irony and cost implications of their demands
• The EFF argues that virtual sittings undermine Parliament's effectiveness due to technical issues and connectivity problems

Reitumetse Makwea, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Pretoria, South Africa, has covered local elections, policy changes, the State of the Nation Address and political news at The Citizen and Rekord Noweto for over five years.

The EFF has called for an immediate end to virtual parliamentary participation. Images: Darren Stewart and Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Source: Getty Images

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called for an immediate end to virtual parliamentary participation.

The party demanded a return to physical sittings for all parliamentary sessions and committee meetings.

But, South Africans did not jump onto the bandwagon this time around and instead trolled the party.

See the statement in the post below:

Netizens were not bothered

South Africans have taken to social media to voice their opinions on the EFF's demands.

Some have mocked the party, pointing out the irony of MPs demanding physical sittings only to walk out of sessions.

@Maxwell_7X commented:

"Imagine flying all of you to Cape Town at the expense of taxpayers just for you to walk out during sessions." Another user, @Mnr_Maweni, added, "Y’all want to fly to Cape Town now and then, that time y’all are hardly in Parliament."

Others have highlighted the cost implications of the EFF's demands:

@TeffuJoy tweeted:

"People care about the product/service and less about the cost—lena le gafise kadi ✈️✈️✈️✈️ to CPT town akere."

Meanwhile, @aredi1234 suggested:

"Add EFF calls for the end of catering services during committee and parliamentary seating. Every man and woman must bring their own breakfast and lunch."

Virtual sittings continued even after the pandemic

This demand follows the introduction of virtual platforms for parliamentary business during the COVID-19 pandemic, a measure deemed sensible and practical at a time when physical meetings were prohibited.

Despite many challenges and interruptions, MPs participated in sittings through virtual platforms due to the unavoidable circumstances of the pandemic.

However, since the burning of Parliament in January 2022, a hybrid model of sittings has continued, much to the displeasure of the EFF.

The EFF has consistently urged Parliament to ensure maximum participation of all members by putting in place the necessary measures.

This includes spacious committee meeting rooms and appropriate halls for Assembly and Council sittings.

Virtual participation undermines Parliament's effectiveness

Many MPs living in remote rural areas face significant difficulties due to poor network connectivity, hampering their ability to participate effectively.

In a statement, the party said virtual sittings are often disrupted by technical issues such as connectivity problems and system crashes, leading to frequent interruptions and delays.

The IT infrastructure supporting virtual sittings has proven inadequate, causing inefficiencies and confusion that further impede the smooth operation of parliamentary duties.

Concerns have also been raised about the transparency and integrity of the virtual voting system, which some claim lacks the necessary safeguards to ensure accurate voting outcomes.

Julius Malema resolves that the EFF won’t be rowdy in Parliament

Briefly News previously reported that EFF president, Julius Malema, promised that his party would not cause disruptions in Parliament.

Malema spoke the day before the new National Assembly sat down to elect a new government borne from coalitions.

South Africans Did not believe him, and some laughed that Malema allegedly indirectly admitted that his party was rowdy.