ANC ‘tantrums’ are just ‘intimidation’ to prevent secret ballot, says Ndlozi

As the opposition parties gear up for their National Day of Action on Monday in anticipation of the Constitutional Court hearing on the secret ballot, the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have lambasted the ANC for its criticism of the judiciary, saying this was opportunistic.

PAC national spokesperson Kenneth Mokgatlhe said the judicial branch of the state should never be attacked or insulted for filling the void left by parliament.

The EFF spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Dlozi, also took a swipe at what it called the “Gupta faction of the ANC” for openly and unfairly attacking the judiciary for fulfilling its constitutional mandate.

The statements came as opposition political parties prepare for a day of action on Monday in anticipation of the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) hearing of the parliamentary secret ballot application by the United Democratic Movement (UDM). The aim of the application is for the ConCourt to compel parliament to use a secret ballot on the upcoming vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma.

Zuma is opposing the application on the basis that, by voting in secret, MPs would interfere with the rights of the ANC in parliament.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa, who initiated the court challenge, aimed to have the ANC MPs vote in secret so that they were able to vote against Zuma.

The PAC’s Mokgatlhe said the judiciary felt that the void left by parliament was, by default, left to them and they felt obliged to “save” the country.

He said while they noted that the judiciary had entered the political arena, this was so because our parliament had been turned into state theatre instead of being the guardian of the people and playing the role of checks and balances.

He said parliament had failed to hold the executive to account, hence the need for continuous intervention by the judiciary.

“The intervention or interference by the judiciary in matters of governance symbolises major problems in the country and we should take them highly seriously,” Mokgatlhe said.

The PAC said parliament has become a terrain for national comedy where old people were publicly paid to make fun of each other by howling, mocking or teasing each other while they were not holding the executive to account.

The EFF’s Ndlozi said executive decisions had been challenged for rationality on a daily basis in the courts for the past 23 years against every minister, MEC, mayor and the like from any political party, including against the ANC president.

“Our belief is that the latest tantrums thrown by the ANC against the judiciary are not about the reshuffle case but a cynical ploy to intimidate the judiciary in relation to the secret ballot case scheduled to be heard on Monday,” Ndlozi said.

On Friday, opposition parties were expected to outline their programme of action for another planned National Day of Action, which will be the third anti-Zuma protest action to be held in the past few weeks.

Opposition leaders will address a media briefing in Johannesburg today.

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