Patricia De Lille, a Member of Parliament (MP), made unsubstantiated allegations during an interpellation debate on 22 October 1997 in the National Assembly. She stated that the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania had information about twelve ANC members who were alleged to have been spies for the apartheid regime. When challenged, she named eight persons, including some who were not MPs. The Speaker ruled that it was unparliamentary to use the word "spies" in referring to members and to name them. The respondent initially agreed to withdraw her remarks conditionally, but when pressed, withdrew them unconditionally and was thanked by the Speaker. On 27 October 1997, the Speaker again raised the matter based on the unrevised Hansard, asking the respondent to withdraw additional parts referring to "agents who received blood money" and "people who betrayed the soul of the nation." The respondent unconditionally withdrew these remarks. Despite this, the ANC moved to appoint an ad hoc committee to investigate her conduct. The committee (consisting of 8 ANC members and 7 opposition members) recommended that she be directed to apologize and be suspended for 15 parliamentary working days. The Assembly adopted these recommendations on 25 November 1997. De Lille challenged the resolutions in the Cape High Court on grounds of bias, mala fides, and lack of a fair hearing, and the High Court declared the resolutions void.
Appeal dismissed with costs. The order of the court a quo was set aside and replaced with a declaration that the part of the resolution of the National Assembly adopted on 25 November 1997 purporting to suspend Mrs Patricia De Lille was void and set aside. The appellant (Speaker) was directed to pay the costs of the respondent on appeal, including costs of one counsel and disbursements of two counsel who appeared pro amico.
The National Assembly does not have constitutional authority to suspend a member of Parliament as a form of punishment for making a speech in the Assembly, even if that speech contains unsubstantiated allegations. Section 57(1)(a) of the Constitution authorizes the Assembly to maintain internal order and discipline, including temporary exclusion of members who are disrupting or obstructing proceedings, but does not authorize punitive suspension for past speeches that were not disruptive. Section 58(2), which permits national legislation to prescribe "other privileges and immunities" of the Assembly, requires such legislation to clearly and specifically articulate privileges and immunities that restrict the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech in section 58(1). It does not authorize restriction of free speech through incorporation by reference of English parliamentary law and custom via section 36 of the Powers and Privileges of Parliament Act. The right to freedom of speech in the Assembly under section 58(1) is fundamental to representative government in a democratic society and can only be restricted by clear constitutional authority. The Constitution is supreme, and any law or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid. Courts have jurisdiction to review parliamentary actions that exceed constitutional authority, and no institution, including Parliament, is immune from judicial scrutiny.
The Court assumed without deciding that the majority of the ad hoc committee and the Assembly were not biased against De Lille, that they acted bona fide, and that she received a fair hearing, noting that even if these assumptions were correct, the essential issue was whether the Assembly had lawful authority to suspend her. The Court noted but found it unnecessary to decide the alternative argument that section 10 of the PPP Act, which provides detailed mechanisms for punishing contempt (including fines and detention), is exhaustive and does not permit suspension as a form of punishment. The Court also found it unnecessary to decide whether the appellant violated the Bill of Rights by failing to afford De Lille a fair, bona fide hearing. The Court noted that the Canadian case of New Brunswick Broadcasting Co v Nova Scotia (dealing with exclusion of media from legislative proceedings) was the subject of considerable controversy in Canada, but found it unnecessary to pursue that controversy as nothing in that case supported the proposition that a purported exercise of power not authorized by the Constitution is immune from judicial scrutiny. The Court noted that the period of suspension had in any event expired by the time of the appeal. The Court observed that section 39(2) of the Constitution requires courts to interpret legislation in a manner that promotes the spirit, purport and objects of the Bill of Rights, and that when legislation is reasonably capable of different interpretations, the interpretation more consistent with protection of freedom of speech should be preferred.
This case is significant in South African constitutional law for establishing the supremacy of the Constitution over Parliament and affirming judicial review of parliamentary actions. It clarifies that the National Assembly's power to control its internal arrangements under section 57(1)(a) does not extend to punitive suspension of members for speeches made in the Assembly. The case protects the fundamental right to freedom of speech in Parliament under section 58(1) and establishes that any restriction on this right must be clearly prescribed by national legislation under section 58(2), not inferred through incorporation of foreign parliamentary custom. It confirms that no institution, including Parliament, is immune from judicial scrutiny when it acts beyond its constitutional authority. The case demonstrates the application of section 39(2) of the Constitution, which requires courts to interpret legislation in a manner that promotes the spirit, purport and objects of the Bill of Rights. It represents an important statement on the protection of minority voices and opposition members in Parliament from majoritarian abuse of parliamentary powers.
Explore 2 related cases • Click to navigate