No confidence motion in Ramaphosa shelved
THE fate of the motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa lies with the programming committee, which will discuss how to process it after parties could not reach an agreement yesterday.
This was after African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula called for the Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, to shelve the motion pending the court application by the party.
The programming committee will meet today to discuss how to deal with the motion.
Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said it was out of her hands and the programming committee had to take a decision.
“I now rule that we are not proceeding with this matter and the details of what we do next will be dealt with tomorrow (today) in the programming committee,” said Mapisa-Nqakula.
This followed a day of drama with points of order and interjections as MPs debated and argued over who was right and wrong.
Zungula said it would be wrong for Parliament to proceed with the motion of no confidence debate because the matter was pending in court.
ANC MPs said the issue of the motion was not sub judice.
They argued that Mapisa-Nqakula had also received legal advice that it was not sub judice.
But IFP chief whip Narend Singh proposed that it be dealt with by the programming committee.
His counterpart in the UDM, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, said he had raised this issue last week in the programming committee meeting and was told that the Speaker would take a decision.
He said the Speaker was now referring the issue back to the programming committee.
EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu said the ATM was correct in asking for a postponement.
“The issue of whether the matter is before the court is not subject to your opinion or the legal office of Parliament. It’s factual and people who
subject the matter to judicial review are saying they put it before the court.
“The courts say that it is not an urgent matter. It is currently on a normal roll where they are going to challenge the decision which you took to refuse the usage of the secret ballot to determine whether the incumbent president remains in office or not,” said Shivambu. Cope MP Willie Madisha said he agreed with the IFP that the programming committee was the appropriate body to handle the matter.
Meanwhile the DA failed in its attempt to remove the Cabinet after ANC MPs used their majority to shoot down the opposition party’s motion.