Deputy Speaker, Lechesa Tsenoli, says the voting in the National Assembly for a new speaker will take place by secret ballot.
President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier appointed speaker, Thandi Modise, as the new Defence Minister.
Former Minister of Defence, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has been nominated by the African National Congress (ANC) caucus as Speaker-Elect, amid much criticism from opposition parties.
Process of filling vacant National Assembly speaker seat: Lechesa Tsenoli
Tsenoli who will act as National Assembly Speaker until a new one is elected says the vote must be conducted by secret ballot, with members being required to comply with COVID-19 health protocols.
“The first thing is that the acting secretary of parliament must inform all members of the vacancy so that they must prepare for the election.
Then, start the process of negotiating with the office of the chief justice on a mutually agreed date. The requirement is that the voting must be by secret ballot and so the arrangements are underway to ensure that when that happens it still fulfils the requirement of complying with the regulations of the disaster management.’
