Cyril Ramaphosa on Nigeria crisis

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MPs to debate Ramaphosa motion of no confidence

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s motion of no confidence vote hangs in the balance as the African Transformation Movement (ATM) has approached the High Court in Cape Town to compel Parliamentary Speaker Thandi Modise to conduct it via secret ballot

Cyril Ramaphosa on Nigeria crisis

Image via: flickr

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to face his first motion of no confidence vote in Parliament on Thursday, 3 December 2020. MPs are set to hold the debate during a hybrid session which gets underway at 14h00.

However, if things go the African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) way, the debate may not even go ahead as the party has filed an urgent application with the High Court in Cape Town – seeking to have it held via secret.

The motion was initially brought forward in February, before the country went under lockdown.

The party earned two seats in Parliament during the 2019 Elections, and they’ve been vocal about their dissatisfaction with Ramaphosa’s handling of several issues including state-owned entities as well as the declining economy, which has undoubtedly worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATM slams Modise over Ramaphosa secret ballot

ATM, which is rumoured to have been funded by an anti-Ramaphosa faction within the African National Congress (ANC) had also his financial obligations in his CR17 campaign, as reasons for him to be given the axe.

“…the sixth administration has turned out to be the most advised administration since the dawn of democracy, with a number of advisory bodies and various envoys whose advice, it seemed, was falling on deaf ears or was being poorly implemented,” the party said at the time.

In order for Ramaphosa to lose the motion, a two-thirds majority is required.

The party has lashed out at Parliamentary speaker Thandi Modise for refusing to grant their request for the vote to be held in secret.

“The Speaker’s loyalty to her party has prevented her from conceding to the legitimate plea of the ATM to have voting conducted in a secret ballot. In the letter to the Speaker, the ATM pointed out that the conditions precedent for the secret ballot are too many to list,” the ATM has said.

The party’s president Vuyo Zungula said MPs needed to hold him to account as he has failed the country.

“I submit that the political situation is toxified to such an extent that it will not be possible for the MPs to cast their vote according to their individual consciousness but rather will be influenced by the party mandate and open voting will expose members to illegitimate hardships,” he said in his affidavit to the court.