DA considering legal action against Parliament

According to a statement the party's leader, Mmusi Maimane, wrote to the Speaker, Baleka Mbete, stating the DA's intention to table a motion of no confidence in the President, in terms of Section 102 of the Constitution and Rule 129 of the National Assembly.

"NA Rule 129 is clear about the urgency with which a motion of no confidence in president should be scheduled. Section 2 states: "The Speaker must accord such motion of no confidence due priority and before scheduling it must consult with the Leader of Government Business and the Chief Whip," the party said in a statement.

Speaker of the National ASsembly, Baleka Mbete raised the matter right at the start of the National Assembly Programming Committee last week, saying that the request would receive prompt consideration.

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"Despite this agreement, this week's programme was circulated on Friday evening and has omitted the motion of no confidence, thereby delaying it at least by another week," the DA said.

The DA's John Steenhuisen also said that there is no reason why the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma cannot proceed at the earliest possible convenience.

"The Speaker's failure to schedule our motion of no confidence is only the latest effort by her office to shield the president from accountability. We would have hoped that the embarrassing defeats suffered by the Executive and Parliament more particularly in our courts of law would have shown the Speaker the futility of her delaying tactics," Steenhuisen said.