Limited traction for DA’s latest motion

Other opposition parties incensed at the lack of consultation

THE DA has come under fire from other opposition parties for tabling a motion to dissolve Parliament and hold early elections, in a bid to oust President Jacob Zuma. Several opposition parties said yesterday they were not consulted by the DA on the matter.

They said they had earlier warned that such a move would not receive support across the opposition benches if there was no consultation.

However, DA chief whip John Steenhuisen yesterday submitted the motion to Speaker Baleka Mbete’s office.

This was confirmed by Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo, who said the institution will process the motion in the normal channels of Parliament.

Other opposition parties, including the UDM, Cope and African Christian Democratic Party, said they will not support the DA motion.

They said they did not understand the underlying reasons for the DA to table a motion to dissolve Parliament.

The IFP said it would discuss the matter in its caucus before taking a stance.

“Whether we support it or not, it will be the decision of the party. We have not made up our mind as the party,” said IFP chief whip, Narend Singh.

But UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said they did not support the motion by the DA.

One of the hurdles was that the Independent Electoral Commission was not ready to hold the elections.

The commission would require resources, he said.

While they agreed with the DA on the removal of Zuma in the motion of no-confidence, they did not support the motion to dissolve the National Assembly.

ACDP leader Rev Kenneth Meshoe also said they did not support the motion.

Meshoe said the DA did not consult with them before tabling the motion in the National Assembly.

He said this was the first thing that the official opposition should have done before going ahead with the motion.

Meshoe added that for the motion to succeed, it would require support from other parties in Parliament.

Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota also warned against the motion, saying it will not succeed.

He said they were not consulted by the DA on the matter before it made its way to Parliament. They did not know what drove the DA to table the motion, but hopefully they will find answers when they meet it next week.

“How are you going to do it because we lost the motion of no-confidence. Is this going to be a repetition of the eight previous motions of no-confidence?” Lekota asked.

Analyst Somadoda Fikeni was not convinced the DA will get the required support from other parties to pull it through. He said it will be difficult for the DA to garner enough support in the benches of the National Assembly as the ANC still enjoyed huge support.

He said he doubted other opposition parties will come to the party because they were still reeling from the local government polls last year in August, where they also spent a lot of money campaigning.