DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko. Picture: SOWETAN
DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko. Picture: SOWETAN
 

DEMOCRATIC Alliance (DA) parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko has accepted an apology from African National Congress (ANC) MP John Jeffrey after he made a pun about her weight during Wednesday's debate on the Presidency budget vote.

During the presidential budget vote debate, Mr Jeffrey said: "While the honourable Mazibuko may be a person of substantial weight, her stature is questionable."

Also during the debate another ANC MP, Buti Manamela, said: "The honourable Mazibuko's fashion sense is so bad that she should be arrested by the fashion police."

Ms Mazibuko late on Thursday accepted Mr Jeffrey's unconditional withdrawal of the comment.

"The DA accepts Mr Jeffery's apology. Anything else is nothing more than a distraction from the president's weak speech today in the House," she said.

The comments from the two ANC MPs caused DA chief whip Sandy Kalyan to issue a statement calling on her counterpart Mathole Motshekga to discipline Mr Jeffrey and Mr Manamela for making chauvinistic and sexist remarks.

The DA raised a point of order with National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu, who said he would study Hansard (the parliamentary record) and then make a ruling at an unspecified later date.

Ms Kalyan said on Thursday that ANC MPs were more concerned with attacking the appearance of a fellow MP than with engaging in robust debate on the serious issues that affected South Africa.

"These petty references are a direct attack on the integrity of a fellow member and are unparliamentary," she said.

A statement issued by Mr Motshekga said Mr Jeffery's explanation was that although his reference to Ms Mazibuko was a pun, it had more to do with her influence and power associated with the position she holds than her physical weight.

"Mr Jeffery has carefully reflected on the ambiguity of the statement and accepts that it may have been understood to refer to Ms Mazibuko's physical outlook.

"In this regard, he will unconditionally withdraw the statement when the presiding officer gives him an opportunity to do so in the House and apologise to Mazibuko," it said.

However, Mr Motshekga said the ANC refused to withdraw Mr Manamela's remarks as the party felt that Ms Mazibuko was not dressed appropriately.

"We have no desire of playing fashion police in this institution," the statement read.

"However, the inappropriate manner in which Ms Mazibuko was dressed yesterday showed total lack of respect to the debate and the decorum of the House."