Watch how ANC votes

The speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, is facing a vote of no confidence in the House and the prospect of serious criminal charges in the courts relating to her soliciting bribes from a defence contractor, and moneylaundering (“Saving parliament’s tainted image,” March 26).

The pending and unformulated official attitude of the ANC to these two developments ought to inform the decision of those voters who are hesitant to continue to vote for the party whose leader calls it “accused number one” in the state capture stakes.

ANC support for the DA’s no-confidence motion in the National Assembly might, in the minds of some voters, signal an end to the perennial “soft on corruption” stance of the ANC and persuade them to keep faith in the party.

On the other hand, protecting the speaker is likely to drive away supporters of the ANC who are already tired of the stench of endless corruption that hangs over the party and are, according to all polls, defecting in droves.

On one level, all that is at stake is whether the speaker, who has imperiously — and probably illegally — placed herself on special leave for an unspecified period, will continue to be on the payroll of parliament until the end of May, or will have her services summarily terminated as they should be if the vote respects and preserves the probity and integrity of the institution.

On another level, the way the ANC votes in the motion of no confidence could affect the position it finds itself in after the votes in the general elections are counted. Time will tell whether loyalty to an about-to-retire senior ANC cadre trumps self-interest in maximising support in the polling.

The speaker has already announced her retirement from active politics at the end of the sixth parliament in May. Her name is not on the list of ANC candidates. Small wonder that Luthuli House is silent while ANC MPs shrilly defend the speaker.

Paul Hoffman, SC

Accountability Now