RULING BY THE HON MADAM SPEAKER ON A POINT OF ORDER RAISED BY HON C MWEETWA, MP, MINISTER FOR SOUTHERN PROVINCE, AGAINST HON B M MUNDUBILE, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR MPOROKOSO CONSTITUENCY, FOR ALLEGEDLY DISAGREEING WITH THE RULING BY THE HON MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER BY CALLING IT NONSENSE

Hon Members will recall that on Wednesday, 14th December, 2022, when the House was considering the Securities (Amendment) Bill, No 23 of 2022 and the Hon Madam First Deputy Speaker was on the Floor, Hon C Mweetwa, MP, Minister for Southern Province raised a Point of Order premised on Standing Order 66. Standing Order 66 states, in part, as follows:
“66. Unparliamentary Language 
(1) Unparliamentary language refers to the use of offensive, provocative, insulting, threatening or obscene language in the House.
(2) Amember shall not use unparliamentary language in the House.” 
In his Point of Order, Hon C Mweetwa, MP, inquired whether Hon B M Mundubile, MP, was in order to use unparliamentary language by referring to the Hon Madam First Deputy Speaker’s ruling as “nonsense” just because he did not agree with it. 
Hon Members, in her immediate response, the Hon Madam First Deputy Speaker, sitting as Chairperson of the Committee of the Whole House reserved her ruling. I have since studied the matter, and will now render my ruling.
Hon Members, Hon C Mweetwa, MP’s Point of Order arose from a decision by the Chairperson regarding a proposed amendment to the Securities Bill, which was moved by the Hon Minister of Finance and National Planning. According to Hon C Mweetwa, MP, Hon B M Mundubile, MP, was dissatisfied with the Chairperson’s decision and, consequently referred to it as nonsense.
Hon Members, I had recourse to the verbatim record and relevant recording of the proceedings of Wednesday, 14th December, 2022, which gave rise to Hon C Mweetwa, MP’s, Point of Order. Neither the verbatim record nor the recording captured Hon B M Mundubile, MP, uttering the word “nonsense” in response to the decision by the Chairperson of the Whole House as alleged by Hon C Mweetwa, MP. In this regard, there is no evidence that Hon B M Mundubile, MP, uttered the word. He was, therefore, not out of order.
I thank You.