EFF to head to court to force secret ballot in vote to oust Mahumapelo

The North West Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) will head to the North West High Court in Mahikeng to apply for an urgent court interdict as an attempt at ensuring that the vote of no confidence in the province’s Premier Supra Mahumapelo is done by secret ballot.

Speaker of the North West legislature Sussana Dantjie announced last week that the motion of no confidence against Mahumapelo would be done through an open ballot system.

The EFF sponsored motion would be debated at the special sitting of the house tomorrow.

The red berets have expressed their confidence that, should the motion against Mahumapelo be done by way of a secret ballot, then some ANC members would vote against the premier.

“We must not allow that we must vote openly, let us demand a secret ballot because we know for sure that more than half of the ANC caucus in the legislature of the North West is going to vote Supra out,” the EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu said.

He added that, should the vote be through an open ballot, then “thugs that surround” the province’s premier would intimidate ANC members who would vote with the opposition.

According to a News24 report, the Democratic Alliance (DA) – which has four votes in the provincial legislature – has agreed to vote in favour of the EFF motion, and it is further reported that talks with the Freedom Front Plus – which has one vote – have begun.

Mahumapelo was expected to survive the motion after the African National Congress called on its MPLs (Members of the Provincial Legislature) to vote against the motion.

– additional reporting by ANA

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