Steenhuisen was asked to leave after he said deputy chairperson Raseriti Tau was speaking rubbish in Parliament.

Tau had told Lekota that he could not call MPs factions.

Steenhuisen challenged the ruling, going as far as to say “you are talking rubbish”.

Tau asked him to withdraw.

“I find it quite insulting.”

Steenhuisen insisted that he would not withdraw, “because you are talking rubbish”.

He was then asked to leave the House, and when he did, he was given a standing ovation from his party.

When DA leader Mmusi Maimane tried to intervene, asking for an explanation, Tau then asked the whole DA caucus to leave.

This was questioned by party leaders, including the UDM’s Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, who wanted to know why the whole party had to leave.

The opposition parties accused the presiding officer of losing control of the House, by ruling what was merely a political statement from Lekota as “unparliamentary”.

Tau later said he had been offended at being told he was speaking rubbish.

The DA caucus collectively said “but you were”.