By: Natasha Archary

The opening of Parliament which took place on Thursday, 18 July did not go down without heated criticism between members, and retaliation in responses.
One such exchange between Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) member Mbuyiseni Ndlozi become a viral talking piece.
When Minister of Agriculture, under the Government of National Unity (GNU), Steenhuisen was addressing Parliament, Ndlozi interrupted on a point of order and urged the Speaker of Parliament to correct the title with which to address the Minister.
Ndlozi pointed out that there seemed to be confusion with Steenhuisen’s title, and quipped that the correct title for the DA leader should be “matriculant”.
This is because Steenhuisen who has been the leader of the DA since October 2019, matriculated from Northwood School in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
The 47-year old father of three does not have a higher education degree, but he holds many years of public service experience.
In response, Steenhuisen threw EFF members, Floyd Shivambu and Julius Malema’s implication in the VBS Bank scandal.
Over R2 billion was looted from VBS, and many low-income people in Limpopo lost their savings
“I think that the grannies, the pensioners, and the stokvels who had their money stolen from them at VBS don’t sleep much better knowing that the people who stole from them have doctorates and masters degrees.”
John Steenhuisen
WATCH: Steenhuisen respond to matriculant insult
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