Deputy Speaker, while participating in the public hearings of the Labour portfolio committee for the past two days, members of the Labour committee and business representatives witnessed shocking behaviour by the chairperson and members of the public.
Members of the public insulted one another across the floor of the Old Assembly Chamber next door. This is extremely unparliamentary. Business leaders in the labour industry were depicted in insulting terms such as "slave traders" and as engaging in human trafficking. Methods of intimidation were also used by some trade unions against members of the portfolio committee. It was alarming to note that the chairperson of the committee, the hon Yengeni, also used inflammatory and insulting language when speaking to business leaders who were present at the public hearings. After an outcry from representatives of the industry, the chairperson repeated these insulting terms again. The DA believes that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable from members of this Parliament, and that the rights of individual members of the public were infringed.
The chairperson should have been controlling such behaviour in the committee and protecting members of the public and members of the portfolio committee from such insulting language and behaviour. This is worse than just being unparliamentary. It is, in fact, undemocratic to allow people to be intimidated in public hearings of this nature. Thank you. [Applause.]