Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli has urged political parties to wait for Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to take a decision on the motion of no confidence against the president next Wednesday.
This follows calls by parties yesterday (Thursday) that it was not clear whether it could go ahead on March 30 as there was a court application by the ATM on March 28 in the Western Cape High Court.
The ATM has gone to court to demand a secret ballot in the motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
But political parties said it was not clear whether it would be prudent to continue with the motion on Wednesday when there was a court application on Monday.
Tsenoli told parties in the programming committee meeting that Mapisa-Nqakula would have to make a decision on the matter.
She is currently in Indonesia attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union with other legislators.
Tsenoli said it was not up to the programming committee to decide on what would happen to the motion because the Speaker would have to make a decision.
UDM chief whip Nqaba Kwankwa raised the matter at the programming committee.
This was after ATM leader Vuyo Zungula said Mapisa-Nqakula had not communicated anything to them whether it would be a secret ballot or not.
“The office of the Speaker did request that parties communicate with the Speaker on their preferred method of voting so that she makes a determination. The concern I have is that this is the last meeting before the sitting to vote on the matter next week and there is no communication from the Speaker,” said Zungula.
Kwankwa also said it was not clear whether the motion of no confidence debate and vote would continue because there was a court application two days before the voting.
“What I want to say is that maybe we did not have a clear decision about the motion next week. Are we going to proceed, or is it going to be postponed due to the court process? There were different views on how to tackle it. Let’s not leave the matter hanging, that is where the confusion comes from,” said Kwankwa.
But Tsenoli said the Speaker would have to make a decision on the matter.
“The reason is that the Speaker must make the final decision. She will communicate to us and we will communicate to you. That decision is not made by programming; it is made by the Speaker. We plead with you to appreciate that and we will communicate to her urgently at the IPU when she has finalised decision.
“There are probably good reasons why she is not doing so. We regret that we cannot do it now and finalise it. That feedback will be given honourable members,” said Tsenoli.
POLITICAL BUREAU
