The Motion of no Confidence against President Zuma is taking place in August but Baleka Mbete has asked for more time to decide on a secret ballot.
Exactly a month ago today the ConCourt ruled that the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, was responsible for deciding on whether or not a Motion of no Confidence could be taken in a secret ballot format.
Shortly after the ruling the DA wrote to Baleka Mbete and requested that she schedule the vote at the earliest convenience. A date has officially been set for August, with a debate taking place on the 8th of August 2017. However it still remains unclear as to whether the vote will be done as a secret ballot or not.
The DA have written a second request that the Speaker make the decision about the ballot before the close of business on the 21st of July. A decision wasn’t made and the speaker made a plea for more time to make the decision. The office released a statement saying,
“Whereas the Constitutional Court found that the Speaker has the discretion to determine a voting procedure in a Motion of no Confidence, that decision must take into account various factors and circumstances, including that such a decision must be rational and not be made arbitrarily,”
“In this respect, while the Court did not prescribe a specific time frame within which such a decision must be made, due regard must, as stated by the Court, be given to the circumstances prevalent in a particular case to ensure that the test of rationality is met. The circumstances in the case in question require careful consideration.
“The Speaker has appealed to all parties to afford her Office the necessary space to make an appropriate decision.”
The DA believe there is no reason that Mbete should delay the decision any longer and to let the South African people know well in advance instead of a few days before the vote.
While we hold our collective breath, we are very excited to see the vote will be going forward, now we just wait to see how.
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