“Anybody who tries to be clever than the clever, make sure they have chosen the wrong day”.
These are the stern words of Police Minister Bheki Cele who addressed a multi-disciplinary parade of the members of the South African Police Services on Thursday morning ahead of the SONA expected to be delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa this evening.
Cele called on the police to act against lawbreakers, however, he says human rights must not be violated in response to the EFF’s Julius Malema that his party will disrupt the proceedings.
Malema reiterated his threat over the weekend during his address at the first Gauteng Provincial Plenum of the 3rd Provincial People’s Assembly and vowed to disrupt Ramaphosa when he delivers his address at the Cape Town City Hall this evening.
“We are going to show him what we are made of there in parliament, we will never be addressed by a constitutional delinquent, we will be there, and we are going to take him head-on,” said Malema.
A showdown is expected between the EFF members and the Parliament’s protection services and Minister Cele is adamant that the police must act on those found to be breaking the law.
“We are policing under human rights and a constitutional dispensation, but at the end of the day it’s your duty to enforce the law,” he said.
Ramaphosa is expected to deliver his 6th SONA this evening at the Cape Town City Hall, and this will be his second address at the venue since the parliament was burnt down in January last year and still lies in ruins.