Ramaphosa:

A motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa that was due to be debated in parliament on Thursday is set to be postponed to February 2021, pending a court ruling on a secret ballot.

The motion was brought by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) in February and argued that Ramaphosa had failed to tackle the economic crisis, the issues at state-owned enterprises and the increasing unemployment rate. This is the first time Ramaphosa has faced such a motion since ascending to power in 2018.

FRIVOLOUS

The party requested National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise to order that voting be done via a secret ballot, arguing that doing so would allow members to vote freely ”.

“But Modise twice declined the request, saying that a secret ballot would undermine transparency. She also suggested that a secret ballot was necessary only in a highly charged or toxic political situation, and this was not the case.

A secret ballot would present logistical challenges given the hybrid sitting, which meant some MPs would be away from the National Assembly as part of efforts to combat the spread of Covid-19, Modise said.

Subsequently, the ATM approached the Cape Town high court on an urgent basis seeking an order to compel the speaker to allow the motion to be decided by secret ballot. Modise opposed the application.

The matter has now been set down for February 2021, and the parties agreed in chambers on Thursday to postpone the debate until the court case has been finalised.

The ANC on Thursday rejected the ATM s motion, describing it as frivolous.

It is indeed a testimony to the strength of our democracy that a two-MP party in our proportional representation system can get their voice heard.

It is a pity, however, that they chose to squander this opportunity in this manner. We are confident that the ANC MPs who will debate the motion will represent us well,” ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said.

Whatever the court decides, the ANC stands ready to defeat the motion. Our confidence and the confidence of the people in the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa remain unwavering,” he said.

The DA, the official opposition party, stated earlier this week that it would abstain from voting on the motion, describing it as a battle between ANC factions.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said he believed that the ATM was a faction of the ANC representing secretary-general Ace Magashule and former president Jacob Zuma.

The ATM was formed just before the 2019 general election, in which it won two seats in the National Assembly.

ANC FACTIONS

Buyisile Ngqulwana, the former general secretary of the SA Council of Messianic Churches in Christ, which was behind the party s formation, claims that ’ Zuma and Magashule are the brains behind it. Magashule denies the allegations, saying he would sue Ngqulwana for defamation.

THE DA STATED THAT IT WOULD ABSTAIN FROM VOTING ON THE MOTION, DESCRIBING IT AS A BATTLE BETWEEN ANC FACTIONS