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Jacob Zuma

CAPE TOWN. — The United Democratic Movement has been granted access to the Constitutional Court over their calls for the secret ballot to be used in the motion of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma (pictured right).

This, however, means the motion might have to be postponed as the parties wishing to oppose the application have until 12:00 tomorrow to do so, and the applicant has to file his reply by 4pm on Wednesday, 19 April.

The motion is due to be debated in the National Assembly on Tuesday, April 18.

In the directive issued on Tuesday, the chief justice said the parties had to file their written submissions by 16:00 on Friday, April 21.

This was a small victory, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa told News24.

“The fact that we are going to be listened to is a victory for step one,” he said.

Explaining what this meant, he said their lawyer, Eric Mabuza, would now write to the Speaker to ask for a postponement of the motion of no confidence.

“If she (Speaker Baleka Mbete) refuses, then we will put in an urgent application to stop the motion,” he said.

In the meantime, since the motion was brought by opposition parties, Holomisa was approaching them to ask for them to agree to a postponement, he said.

The party believes a secret ballot would allow members of the ANC to vote in favour of the motion.

Parliament, however, said the rules of the assembly and the Constitution did not provide for a vote of no confidence to be conducted by secret ballot.

“The Speaker has no authority in law to alter such provisions,” Parliament said on Monday.

“Voting procedures in the assembly are determined by the Constitution and the rules of the assembly.”

Meanwhile, former president Thabo Mbeki said Members of Parliament are the voice of the people of South Africa and must not act as the voice of their own political parties.

In a letter published in the The Star newspaper, Mbeki, in reference to the motion of no confidence in President Zuma to be debated in Parliament next Tuesday said MPs do not have to vote according to party lines.

“It is therefore obvious and logical that Members of Parliament (MPs), each elected to this position by the people as a whole, and never by individual political parties, including their own, must act in Parliament as the voice of the people, not the voice of the political parties to which they might belong,” he said in the letter.

The ruling party has confirmed that they would be voting against the motion.

All opposition parties have vowed to vote in favour of the motion and appealed to the ANC to do the same, as the party has the majority vote in Parliament.

In a related matter, former EFF member Andile Mngxitama has accused those involved in today’s planned march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria of plotting to overthrow the state.

Mngxitama was a panelist at a dialogue held at the Tshwane University of Technology yesterday in which he railed against President Jacob Zuma’s detractors.

The discussion‚ titled “Is the post-apartheid state unravelling?”‚ was hosted by South African Association of Public Administration and Management.

“The march tomorrow is organised by white monopoly capital. It is a coup because President Zuma hasn’t done anything‚” he said. — News24/Times Live.