Motion of no confidence in Zuma scheduled for August 3

Members of Parliament (MPs) will debate a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma on Thursday, August 3, 2017, parliament announced on Friday.

In a statement, spokesperson of the national legislature Moloto Mothapo said National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete had consulted with the leader of government business, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, and ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu following a request from the DA as well as other opposition parties that the motion be scheduled at the earliest convenience following a Constitutional Court judgment on voting by MPs being conducted by way of a secret ballot.

The court ruled last week that Mbete had the discretion to determine whether a motion of no confidence should be voted upon by a secret or open ballot.

Mothapo said the matter of whether the vote would be conducted through a secret ballot was receiving consideration from Mbete. He said the speaker would make her decision before the scheduled debate on August 3 after engaging with all political parties represented in the National Assembly.

“The United Democratic Movement has also asked to meet with the speaker to discuss the matter of a secret ballot.

“Mindful that the powers to make a determination regarding voting procedures solely rest with the speaker, as clarified by the Constitutional Court, the speaker has invited interested parties to submit their views regarding their preferred means of voting on this particular Motion,” the statement said.

All parties in the National Assembly were invited to make their submissions on the secret ballot by July 14, 2017.

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