EFF to boycott election of National Assembly speaker

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says its MPs will not participate in Thursday’s session in Parliament to elect the new speaker of the National Assembly.  

The House is expected to hold a plenary sitting at 11am after the position of the speaker became vacant when President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Thandi Modise as the new minister of defence and military veterans.

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The ANC’s parliamentary caucus last week nominated former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula as the new speaker of the National Assembly.

The EFF said in a statement it had decided to not participate in “rubber stamping Ramaphosa’s violation of the separation of powers”.

The party said when the president announced changes to his Cabinet, he said Mapisa-Nqakula’s deployment would be announced in due course, and her nomination by the ANC meant Ramaphosa had “single-handedly” removed Modise and swapped her with the former minister of defence. 

“For a head of the executive to chop and change speaker of Parliament as and when he wishes undermines the spirit of South Africa’s constitutional democracy,”  said EFF national spokesperson Vuyani Pambo.

“The EFF will on this basis not participate in rubber stamping factional politics and arrangements that seek to undermine South Africa’s constitutional order and democracy.”

EFF to consult lawyers

Pambo said the Red Berets would consult with their legal representatives to establish whether it’s conditionally permissible for the president to hire and fire the head of another arm of state.

“We have to take this extraordinary step because it is evident now that Ramaphosa is hellbent on undermining the separation of powers. This is further demonstrated by his faction’s attempt to impose Ramaphosa’s personal lawyers as judges of the Constitutional Court. We as the EFF will not be part of undermining South Africa’s democratic order and will do everything in our power to fight against Ramaphosa’s emerging despotic order.”

Thursday’s vote in the National Assembly will be to presided over by Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe, who has been designated by acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

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