African legislators have expressed concern over their security in South Africa which threatens to derail the deliberations of the fourth parliament’s extra ordinary plenary session.
This follows an attack on a delegation of Mps from Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania on Sunday night by thugs who had trailed them from OR Tambo airport to their hotel and robbed them at gun point.
The thugs made off with the legislators personal property including money, passports and bags and injured the Kenya delegations interpreter whom they hit on the head.
Hon. Jacquiline Amongin (Uganda) said the issue of security takes precedence over other items on the agenda of the House proposing that the MPs be provided police escorts to and from the airport with guards manning the hotels.
The president of PAP Roger Nkodo said the issue of security was the responsibility of the host country and not the speaker adding that the police and government of South Africa had given assurance that such incidences would not happen again.
This is not the first attack on legislators in South Africa. In August last year, four Uganda legislators were attacked by armed robbers on arrival at the gate of their hotel, KariBou-Inn Guest House, in Johannesburg where they were robbed of money and travel documents.
