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Parliament going ahead with debate on no confidence in Ramaphosa, Cabinet

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Parliament says the date for both motions of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa and his entire Cabinet on March 30 has not been changed.

This is despite the institution confirming receiving a court date on March 28 for the hearing of the court application against the voting method on the motion against Ramaphosa alone.

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) which has requested the motion went to court last week against the decision by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, for the voting method on the motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa to take place through an open ballot.

Another motion in the cabinet was called by the Democratic Alliance.

The party asked that cabinet members be excused from voting.

However, Mapisa-Nqakula decided otherwise: 

The DA was also not pleased by Mapisa-Nqakula’s decision.

“The reality is that there can be things that may be legally sound but they cannot make sense when it comes to the issue of accountability and how we have to do our jobs. It makes no sense that the cabinet, whose futures are on the line, have to vote for themselves in a motion that concerns themselves, and they have to vote for themselves through the whip that is in Parliament,” said Deputy Chief Whip Siviwe Gwarube.

Mapisa-Nqakula says Parliament will have to deal with the possibility of a court order in favour of a secret ballot as and when it arises.

“As far as we are concerned it is all systems go, we will have the two motions on the table on the 30th of March. And if there are any changes as a result of the court ruling on the 28 March-then we will see how to respond to that.”

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