South Africa military to help the police secure parliament during President’s State of Nation Speech
South African President Jacob Zuma has authorized the employment of members of the South African National Defense Force to work with the police service to secure the parliament when the President gives his State of the Nation Address 2017 during the opening of the parliament.
Jacob Zuma, 74, has ordered 441 soldiers to help at least 6,000 police to maintain law and order during the event on Thursday at Cape Town’s parliamentary precinct according to Bloomberg report.
Opposition parties and civil rights groups have said the deployment is absolutely unnecessary and possibly illegal. Secretary to Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana told reporters that there is nothing unusual about the security arrangements for the speech.
Politicians from the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party disrupted proceedings inside the National Assembly and delayed Zuma’s address by about an hour during last year’s state of the nation address.
EFF Statement on the Deployment of 441 SANDF Memebers for SONA #Asijiki pic.twitter.com/7jFCStb88w
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) February 7, 2017
Employment of members of the SANDF during the opening of Parliament https://t.co/SDnhrTEdSI
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) February 7, 2017
The @SAPoliceService along with parliamentary security will provide safety and security as they have done in the past years. #SONA2017
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) February 8, 2017
