Modise rejects request for secret ballot at ATMs in Ramaphosa’s motion of no confidence

CAPE TOWN – National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise on Tuesday rejected a second request from the African Transformation Movement (ATM) for a secret ballot when parties vote on a motion of no confidence by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The no-confidence motion is expected to be debated in the National Assembly on Thursday.

• READ ALSO: ATM trusts that opposition parties will support Ramaphosa’s motion of no confidence

Modise initially rejected the ATM’s request to vote secretly when she first filed her motion earlier this year.

Parliament spokesman Moloto Mothapo said that the Constitutional Court in 2017 indicated that a secret ballot is necessary when the political environment is highly charged or toxic.

“The ATM has offered no evidence of a highly charged atmosphere, intimidation of any member, or any demonstrable evidence of threats to the lives of members and their families, which may justify a secret ballot,” Mothapo said in a statement.

Mothapo said that the Constitution obliges Parliament to carry out its tasks in an open and transparent manner.

“As public representatives of the electorate, members are not always supposed to operate under a veil of secrecy. Considerations of transparency and openness sometimes call for a demonstration, as the Constitutional Court stated, of ‘courage and determination to boldly promote the best interests of those who represent the members of the National Assembly, regardless of the consequences, including the risk of impeachment. for non-compliance with the party’s instructions. ‘

“The Spokesperson was also aware that the current virtual or hybrid sessions of the National Assembly, which are part of the institutional measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, would in any case make the practical aspects of a secret ballot very challenging. , ” he said.

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