Parly scoffs at ANC dissenters witch-hunt claim

Parliament weighed in on reports of a ruling party witchhunt of ANC MPs who voted in favour of the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma last week, saying there was no way anybody could establish how a particular MP voted in the secret ballot.

“Parliament wishes to reaffirm that all the necessary measures were put in place to ensure the integrity of the secret ballot is not compromised, thereby making the identity of the voter impossible to trace,” the legislature said.

At least 26, but as many as 35, ANC MPs defied party instructions to support the motion tabled by the opposition, after Zuma fired Pravin Gordhan as finance minister in a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle in May. The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has opened disciplinary charges against senior MP Makhosi Khoza, who declared before the vote that she would vote according to her conscience.

Gordhan did the same, as did his former Cabinet colleague Derek Hanekom, and ANC MP Mondli Gungubele.

Gungubele has shrugged off the suggestions from the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association that they would be sanctioned.

Parliament said the only printing on the ballot papers was an authentication stamp and three options against which to make a mark: No, Yes or Abstain.

“To further ensure maximum secrecy of the process, no gadgets were permitted in the voting booth, photojournalists with zoom lens cameras were requested to vacate the gallery and chamber broadcast camera controllers were ordered not to focus on voting booths.”

The ballot boxes were then stored in locked archive boxes which could only be opened by order of the National Assembly speaker or a court of law. Zuma survived the vote. –