End of March no-confidence vote in Ramaphosa, cabinet
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has confirmed the date for a motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet.
MPs will debate the motions on 30 March.
The motion of no confidence in Ramaphosa was brought by the African Transformation Movement (ATM), while the motion in his cabinet was tabled by the DA.
Mapisa-Nqakula says the MPs will vote in an open ballot.
“Both motions will be voted openly, on the 30th of March when we conduct these motions voting will be open, which will make things easy for our chief whips and for all parties.
“I have granted the ATM reasons why I believe that it would be in the interest of transparency and our democracy in Parliament that we exercise this freedom openly.”
The ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina says the majority party is happy with an open ballot.
“I don’t remember us using secret vote when processing the issue on the public protector. I voted on behalf of my party. We support for both motions to be voted openly as per the rules of hybrid.”
However, the DA’s deputy chief whip Siviwe Gwarube says they believe those sitting in cabinet should not take part in the voting process.
“It makes absolutely no sense speaker to us that the cabinet whose futures are on the line must vote for themselves in a motion that concerns themselves and through the whip in Parliament. It makes no sense for a constitutional motion of this kind as serious as this to allow the whips to be in control of voting mechanisms.”
Mapisa-Nqakula says parties opposing the process are free to make formal submissions to her office on the possibility of a secret ballot.
“I have ruled that the members of the executives will participate in the discussions, in the debate, and it will also participate in the vote because they are Members of Parliament before they are appointed members of the executive.
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