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The Democratic Alliance’s motion of no confidence in the president would go ahead but it would be a “yawn”, the ANC in Parliament said today.
Responding to a statement by the opposition party, which welcomed Parliament’s decision to schedule a no confidence debate “within a reasonable period of time”, ANC parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo accused the DA of “abusing and trivialising” the motion of no confidence tool.
“Previously, a motion, tabled in terms of the Constitution, was a powerful and critical oversight tool. It would raise eyebrows and was an important item on the parliamentary calendar. Now, thanks to the DA, very few take it seriously; the public now think it is a waste of time,” said Mothapo.
Accusing the DA of hoping to score a few headlines, he said: “Of course the motion will go ahead. It has to, in line with our Constitution. But when you abuse it for narrow political ends, it becomes less significant, less powerful and a yawn.”
An earlier attempt by the DA to pass a motion of no confidence in the president – in March last year – was easily defeated when put to the vote in the National Assembly.
Amid the controversy that erupted following President Jacob Zuma’s decision to fire Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene last month, the DA requested the speaker, Baleka Mbete, to schedule a new debate against the president.
Appealing for urgency, the DA hoped to get the debate scheduled before the president’s state of the nation address, which traditionally marks the opening of the official parliamentary calendar, on February 11.
However, in a written reply to the DA’s request, Mbete said the parliamentary framework was agreed to in advance by a programming committee, with committee oversight periods scheduled between January 26 and February 10.
Mbete was consulting the leader of government business, Cyril Ramaphosa, and the ANC chief whip to schedule it within a reasonable period of time.
The first programming committee meeting is set down for February 4.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane criticised Zuma again today following the president’s comment that South Africans had overreacted when he had fired Nene.
Saying that Parliament ought to remove Zuma as president “for once and for all”, Maimane said: “This blatant denialism is an insult ... Instead of taking responsibility for his poor decision, President Zuma is shirking it.”
