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President of the National Assembly Thandi Modise.
- The president of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, accepted the ATM’s request to postpone the party’s vote of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa.
- This after the ATM filed a court request to force Modise to allow a secret ballot for the motion.
- The case will only be known in early February next year.
National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise agreed to postpone the ATM motion of no confidence to President Cyril Ramaphosa pending the Western Cape High Court’s decision on the party’s request for a secret ballot to vote on the bill. .
The motion was scheduled for Thursday afternoon session.
The ATM filed its court request on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, the party and Parliament agreed in the chambers to postpone the case until February 3-4 next year.
Shortly after the court proceedings, the leader of the ATM, Vuyolwethu Zungula, wrote to Modise requesting that the motion be postponed.
“The basis for requesting the postponement is that ATM has initiated proceedings before the Western Cape Superior Court under case number 17989 of 2020, in which ATM seeks that the court review and annul the president’s decision to reject a secret ballot, ” he wrote.
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At the beginning of the plenary session Thursday afternoon, Modise said that he had considered the rules and decided to accept the postponement in light of a similar arrangement in 2017 when one of several no-confidence motions against former President Jacob Zuma was postponed to the waiting for a court ruling. in secret ballot.
“On the current matter, there was also limited time to consult with the [National Assembly] programming committee, “he added.
Modise said the committee should deliberate on the case, particularly the effect the postponement would have on blocking a similar motion tabled by another member.
Ready or not
After speaking, Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa said: “The ANC, we were ready for this motion. And I am sure that even if he comes back on December 25, we will still be ready.”
“Asseblief, not the 25th, it’s my birthday,” Modise replied.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said the party, which will abstain from voting on the motion, was ready for it as well.
“We hoped that our abstinence would strengthen the heart of the president,” he added.
Other opposition parties also thanked Modise for providing clarity on the matter.
EFF chief Floyd Shivambu said the programming committee should also discuss the practicalities of secret voting.
“If you trust the unity of your organization, the unity of its public representatives, it cannot be difficult to have a secret vote,” he added.
After the ATM presented the motion in February this year, it also asked Modise to vote by secret ballot.
Modise refused, saying the party did not provide evidence of “a highly charged atmosphere, intimidation of any member, or demonstrable evidence of threats to the lives of members and their families, which may justify a secret ballot.”
He also referred to the constitutional imperative of transparency.
After the motion was scheduled last week, Zungula asked Modise to reconsider. He again refused, pointing to the logistics of hybrid virtual sessions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his court request, Zungula said that Modise’s decision was “irrational and biased.”
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