MPs demand urgent resolution to Parliament's sound system issues

Parties represented in Parliament underscored the need for an urgent resolution to the ongoing sound system problems plaguing the National Assembly's sittings.

The discussion, which unfolded during a meeting of the programme committee on Thursday, saw parties express their frustrations over the impact of the technical issues on parliamentary proceedings.

EFF MP Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi was the first to raise the matter when she wanted to know if the sound system problem will be sorted out ahead of debate on the US decision to halt aid to South Africa.

“Is it sorted because it is very clumsy when you have to start a meeting and adjourn for 10 minutes for something that should be attended to before the meeting.

“So today as we are to debate that important debate sponsored by the president of the EFF, are we having microphones sorted because last time we took a very bad decision when we ejected a member in the House while he was telling you exactly that, in fact he did not hear you because of the crisis.

“I also personally raised it on several occasions that even your microphone is not audible. Yourself you even use two microphones to demonstrate to us there is problem with the microphones in the dome.

“I want to find out if it is sorted now in order not to repeat what happened that day because we don’t want to find a situation where you eject people not on their doing, but because of the crisis you have,” Mkhaliphi said.

MK Party’s Andile Mngxitama said it was important the sound system was sorted because their members had been ejected.

“An apology is due to him because he was not able to hear what the presiding officer was saying and as result he was kicked out of the House,” he said.

Mngxitama, who also asked that the perennial problem of interpreting services be resolved, was referring to the ejection of MK Party MP Visvin Reddy.

Reddy was ejected from the House after ignoring Deputy Speaker Annelie Lotriet when he was ordered to take his seat after continuing chanting “Pemmy must go”, after his speaking time had expired, but claimed he did not hear her because of the sound.

ANC chief whip, Mdumiseni Ntuli, concurred with the importance of attending to the sound system problem.

“I want to invite colleagues to join us on the decision we made yesterday at the chief whips forum. We also have a responsibility to ensure not just ourselves as whips of political parties but members of caucuses carry themselves in a dignified way,” Ntuli said.

Ntuli added that there was a problem with the sound system but there were certain MPs who were abusing the fact that there was problem with the sound and misbehaved.

“That is an issue we raise in the chief whips' forum and we insisted we have responsibility as whip of various political parties to ensure our own caucuses carry themselves in a dignified way so that when there is a problem, the problem is not exaggerated by ill-discipline.

“It is important that the commitment we made as chief whips, that the sound must be sorted, but we need to carry ourselves in a manner befitting MPs,” Ntuli added.

However, Mkhaliphi argued that the request for chief whips to take responsibility was unwarranted, as parliamentary staff should have fulfilled their duties

“We need to resolve the issue of the sound,” she said.

Lotriet said the issue of Reddy was for the Speaker to take investigation further and refer it to the relevant structures.

“This meeting is not going to discuss it,” she said.

Secretary of the National Assembly, Masibulele Xaso, said they continued to attend to the sound system problem.

“Yesterday was better than the day before and the technical staff is attending to the matter. We believe things will be what are expected to be today,” Xaso said, adding that the issue of interpreting services during the sittings was raised with relevant structures of Parliament.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za