Open ballot on Ramaphosa no-confidence motion the right decision – says Mapisa-Nqakula

It’s entirely up to Parliament on whether there should be a secret ballot in a motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

That’s the word from National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who confirmed that the motion and another against cabinet would be held at the end of the month.

Opposition MPs said that an open vote would be unfair.

In about two weeks, MPs will engage in two no-confidence debates tabled by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM).

The motions are against the president and his entire cabinet.

Among those calling for a secret ballot, is the DA’s Natasha Mazzone: “It was said that parties, when afforded a vote of a nature where they could receive backlash from their political party should their views not be the same as their political party, then the ballot had to be secret.”

However, Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said that legal advice had confirmed that an open ballot was the right decision.

“I have granted the ATM reasons why I believe that it would be in the interest of transparency of our democracy in Parliament that we exercise this freedom openly and I’ve not heard of intimidation of members,” Mapisa-Nqakula said.

-EWN

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