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The current contentious nature of the secret ballot requested in a vote of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa could have been avoided, if the National Assembly had better handled the issue.
This is according to the president of the African Transformation Movement (ATM), Vuyolwethu Zungula, who said that a tedious exchange of information has taken place since February this year, more than a month before the country entered a total blockade. due to Covid-19.
Zungula said The citizen that the way in which the president of the National Assembly, Thandi Modise, handled the party’s request to vote by secret ballot on the motion of no confidence was “disturbing”.
“Things could have been fixed much earlier. We kept asking for an email trail on the letter and to whom it would have been sent, but they didn’t have that information. We asked if it was hand delivered and they don’t have it either.
“The biggest argument in the motion is not the timing, but the question of the vote.”
ALSO READ: The Ramaphosa ATM no-confidence motion to be voted on next week in open voting
Zungula said that even though the ATM sent his letter requesting a no-confidence motion against Ramaphosa on February 6 and reminding Modise in September to respond urgently, he received no correspondence until November 26.
This gave the party about a week to respond to a letter Modise’s office sent to the party on March 5, which was only received last week.
“From last Thursday until now, it is very little time for us to effectively argue the internal processes in the secret ballot. If we had known in March, this would not have happened. ”
Secret ballot request
This is especially relevant because the request for a secret ballot on the motion was stipulated in his first communications to Modise, Zungula said.
In a debate held by the National Assembly’s program committee on the ATM proposal, which took place on November 26, Modise rejected that the motion be voted on by secret ballot. He cited section 1 (d) of the Constitution, which establishes openness as “a fundamental principle for our democracy.”
He also said that the ATM “had not offered any evidence of a high-burden environment or intimidation of any member in the motivation of his request.”
Zungula asked to differ.
He made reference to members of the ANC burning T-shirts with Ramaphosa’s face in Bloemfontein, and MPs were present.
Zungula also explained that the nature of democracy in South Africa is currently in a dangerous space, with political assassinations and poison attempts being just a few examples.
“There is a great risk when it comes to deputies voting openly. There is also the problem of opposition parties that receive financial benefits from the ANC. This means that they will not be independent and will play an oversight role to hold the executive accountable. “
Furthermore, Zungula questioned why a president was elected to power through a secret ballot, “however, when we vote for a president, it is an open vote.”
“The only logical method of voting [in the motion of no confidence] it has to be secret. ”
Lack of support from opposition parties
Opposition parties have been reluctant to support the ATM motion.
The district attorney confirmed that he would not support the motion of no confidence, even though the party did not necessarily agree with the way Ramaphosa has handled South Africa’s economic woes, IOL reported Monday.
Similarly, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) said it would vote against the motion.
He said the question of open voting did play a role in opposition parties that did not want to support the motion.
“When it comes to a secret ballot, they will not be under pressure to go in a particular direction. It is always good that people vote with their conscience ”.
Zungula claimed that allowing a secret ballot meant that politicians could vote first in the interests of South Africans, “without fear of profit.”
This alluded once again to Ramaphosa’s alleged financial influence to ensure that parties “followed that line”, and that this hampered the ability of a party to be “a defender of our democracy and a champion of the interests of our people” .
“This year is a greater responsibility for all of us. People are poorer and unemployed and as the trend continues, the greater the chances of being a failed state and future generations will suffer. “
Zungula said the ATM decision had not been popular and the party has been accused of “playing politics.”
“But the reality is that many people see what is happening but have no voice or are not bold enough to confront the real elephant in the room, that Ramaphosa has done nothing positive for South Africa.
“Leaving political leaders, especially those of the opposition, is not going to do any good for our country.”
Zungula confirmed that the ATM had approached the courts to make the ballot of motion of no confidence secret.
Let’s go to court !!!!
– Vuyo Zungula MP ???????? (@ZungulaVuyo) November 30, 2020
This meant that even though the National Assembly approved the motion of no confidence through open voting, the decision of the courts could extend the motion, which is due to be held on Thursday.
Updates to follow as more information becomes available.
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