So today was the big day! I am being sworn in as a MPL at 9:00 at the Gauteng Legislature in the middle of Joburg - yeah right!! Make that 10:00!!
Traffic was absolute murder and the highway just did not want to move. I finally phoned my whip Paul and told him I was gonna be late for my first sitting..."don't worry" said Paul..."everybody is stuck in the traffic they are going to start late in in any case". Relief.
Part of the problem was the streets they closed for the inauguration of the premier and MPL's! Which in the end proved to be quite uneccessary. Nonetheless the trip was murder.
So we finally got to the legislature and as I walk into the building with Thana by my side (very quietly leaving me to boil) I get the SMS from Paul "we've started". "I'm here" I reply. I quickly "dump" Thana in the capable hands of Ann Barnes our office manager and Di Thomas one of our researchers while I dash down to the chamber like a madman possessed.
As I walk in the first MPL's get sworn in - I take my seat - the second bunch get called to the front. Mike says "You're here you can relax now" and I think I am glad I am sitting next to him.
Just as I take a breath, fill out my attendance form - they call my name - I am in the Afrikaans bunch and the Deputy Judge President says "Raise your right hands and read the oath". In a cacophony sounding like a "spreekkoor" gone wrong the 1 ANC, 1 COPE, 1 FF and 3 DA Afrikaans speaking MPL's read their oaths - generating a short but distinct laughter from our colleagues in the chamber.
We finish "So help my God" and sign our forms and return to our seats.
So there I sit waiting for the rest of my colleagues to be sworn in realising that we left in such a rush that I skipped breakfast. My tummy doesn't like that. So I start attacking the bottle Valpre water graciously provided by the legislature. However, this just compounds another little problem I forgot to address before leaving home - and there was no time to stop on the way. So I thinki to myself - at the right moment I will leave the chamber visit the place for men and then hop into the members' lounge for a quick bite on a hard cookie just to quiet the rumble in my tummy. This opportunity arises as they decide to swear in the Premier and they let in the press for photographs. I stand up, bow to the podium and dash off to address my pressing needs.
Get to the members' lounge - they're not providing any little samies or even dry cookies, just a bunch of closed bain maries. This is not gonna work I think to myself so I return, slightly disappointed but relieved, to the chamber.
As I walk in towards my seat I almost fall over from shock - not hunger - in front of me taking photographs is somebody I safely "dumped" in the hands of our staff earlier. "How did she escape?" I wonder to myself and decide to not make a fuss or ask questions just sit, pray that she doesn't get thrown out and smile while she takes pics. My wife get intp places in a flash where I had to struggle 21 years to get into!!
Some of my colleagues did not reaslise who she was but did "find it strange that someone would take photographs of the DA ignoring the Premier's swearing in" as Jack Bloom remarked. So we have a few special pics of all of us in our seats (see the pics in this post).
All in all I enjoyed the whole swearing in thing and I enjoyed my first sitting with my new colleagues - so far a nice bunch of people.
Thana also enjoyed it being able to move around with the media guys and being able to meet Steven Grootes from 702 who we listened to on the radio on the way to the legislature. All in all - great fun!!!
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