"He used to beat Nomazizi .... she used to complain to [former president Jacob] Zuma," Malema charged, referring to Ramaphosa's first wife.

He made the allegation in the debate on Ramaphosa's state of the nation address, after African National Congress (ANC) MP Boy Mamabolo accused Malema of abusing his own wife, Mantwa.

Mamabolo flatly told Malema that gender-based violence "is happening at your house".

"You are abusing your wife…members of the EFF know about it. Can you confirm to us… are you abusing your wife?"

Malema did not immediately rise to the bait, but after a raft of interruptions to his speech from the ruling party's benches he shot back with the accusation against the president, at the same time denying the allegation against himself. 

"I’ve never, not once, laid a hand on my wife. I have been told the president used to beat his late wife. I raise this issue that you cannot fight gender-based violence with this history. He is the wrong person.”

It was the second time in a week that Malema had levelled the allegation at the president.

On Friday, at a press club gathering, he challenged Ramaphosa and other political party leaders to declare that they had never abused women. 

He singled out Ramaphosa, saying the president had to take the country into his confidence and assure everyone that he had never assaulted a woman. 

The exchange in the National Assembly was met with disgust from Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip Natasha Mazzone. 

She said it was an insult to the multitude of South African women who endured either abuse or the fear of gender-based violence to have politicians exploit the issue for political point-scoring.

"I actually feel physically ill," she said.

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said it was deplorable that politicians could waste time on political point-scoring of this nature instead of focusing on the many crises confronting South Africa.

"And honourable president, it started with the ANC," he added, noting that it was Mamabolo who first raised the subject with the allegation he levelled at Malema.

"And you don't have to be very intelligent to predict what the chaos is going to be," Groenewald continued.

He said it was therefore Ramaphosa's own benches who had disrespected him by resorting to finger-pointing in the debate on his state of the nation address, knowing full well that the EFF would retaliate.

Ramaphosa was married to Nomazizi Mtshotshisa from 1991 to 1993.

The president last year faced mass protests about the high incidence of violence against women, called it a national crisis, and diverted funding to criminal justice initiatives to fight the scourge.

African News Agency (ANA)