Fists Fly During Chaotic Pan-African Parliament Session

This past Monday, a session of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) devolved into utter chaos as scuffles erupted between members of parliament (MPs). Disputes over how the leadership of the PAP was going to be elected reportedly resulted in the heated encounter. Chief Whip for the African National Congress (ANC), Pemmy Majodina, was allegedly assaulted by an MP from Senegal while attempting to intervene between him and another MP from Zimbabwe.

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Majodina was initially set to press charges of assault against the Senegalese MP, however, she has since accepted his apology instead saying, "He was really apologetic and very sorry, and I told him this [would be] a serious case of gender-based violence in SA. You don't beat up a woman." Majodina went on to add that, "He has apologised and I have no qualms in accepting an apology, because this was a hot fight and it might happen that I was caught up in that crossfire."

According to News24, the primary conflict was between leaders from the Southern African and West African regions. The latter were in favour of electing a new president for the PAP while the former proposed a rotation policy instead. Speaking at an earlier session, acting President of the PAP, Chief Fortune Charumbira, reportedly said that the African Union (AU) was in favour of the rotation policy.

This latest incident is not the first unfortunately. Just last week, there was a fallout during the PAP which saw Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, threatening another MP.

The PAP is an arm of the AU and was established in 2004. The PAP serves as a platform to for all African people to have the opportunity to engage in decision-making as it pertains to the challenges facing the continent. Read more about it here.

Watch the PAP session below:

Election of members of the Bureau of the Pan-African Parliament, 31 May 2021www.youtube.com