We’re not surprised at DA move – Mantashe

The ANC is not perturbed by the latest attempt by the DA to vote President Jacob Zuma out of office by announcing it would today table a motion to have parliament dissolved and an early general election called.

This after Zuma survived an eighth motion of no confidence against him, which failed by just 24 votes.

“We said before the motion of no confidence that the opposition doesn’t want to remove Zuma, they want to remove the ANC, so we are not surprised,” said ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane made the announcement in Cape Town yesterday, stating that the ANC may have won in the no-confidence motion in parliament on Tuesday but it had lost the confidence of the country.

“We believe the voters should now have the chance to express their opinion about the conduct of the ANC in defending Jacob Zuma,” Maimane said.

“In short, we believe that parliament should be dissolved now so that the country can hold an early election,” he said.

The DA took the decision in terms of section 50 of the constitution to initiate a motion in the National Assembly to dissolve parliament and hold an early general election.

“Section 50 of our constitution states that the president must dissolve the National Assembly if the assembly has adopted a resolution to dissolve with a supporting vote of a majority of its members, and three years have passed since the assembly was elected.”

In addition to this motion, Maimane said, the party would continue with its legal action against Zuma.

On September 14 and 15, the Supreme Court of Appeal will hear Zuma’s appeal on a Pretoria High Court decision which ruled last year that the 2009 decision by the National Prosecuting Authority to withdraw criminal charges against him was irrational and should be set aside.