EFF won’t be part of the election of a new parliament speaker

Parliament is set to elect the new speaker to replace Thandi Modise who was earlier this month appointed to Cabinet as the new Defence Minister during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first Cabinet reshuffle.

The African National Congress (ANC) has nominated former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to succeed Modise.

However, the EFF says in a statement it believes the elections will be rubber-stamping Ramaphosa’s violation of separation of powers, which it says is one of the most important pillars of South Africa’s Constitutional Democratic order.

“When he was announcing changes into the National Executive, Ramaphosa said the deployment of former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will be announced in due course. What this means is that Mr. Ramaphosa single handedly removed the elected Speaker of Parliament, Thandi Modise, and replaced her with former minister of Defence. For a head of the executive to chop and change Speaker of Parliament as and when he wishes undermines the spirit of South Africa’s constitutional democracy.

The EFF will on this basis not participate in rubber stamping factional politics and arrangements that seek to undermine South Africa’s constitutional order and democracy,” said the party in a statement.

The EFF added it would also consult its legal team to establish whether it was conditionally permissible for a head of state and government to hire and fire the head of another important division of the State.

“We have to take this extra ordinary step because it is evident now that Ramaphosa is hellbent on undermining the separation of powers. This is further demonstrated by his faction’s attempt to impose Ramaphosa’s personal Lawyers as Judges of the Constitutional Court. We as the EFF will not be part of undermining South Africa’s

democratic order and will do everything in our power to fight against Ramaphosa’s emerging despotic order.”

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