ATM Fights For Secret Ballot in President Cyril Ramaphosa's Vote of No Confidence Motion, Heads to High Court

• The African Transformation Movement will be going to the Western Cape High Court on Monday in relation to the motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa
• The organisation is against the Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula's decision to let the voting take place through a secret ballot
• Mapisa-Nqakula will be arguing that she made a lawful and correct decision, stating that she stands by the decision she made in February

CAPE TOWN - The African Transformation Movement (ATM) will be heading to the Western Cape High Court on Monday, 28 March in a bid to ask the court to allow President Cyril Ramaphosa's vote of no confidence to take place through a secret ballot.

The ATM made the decision to head to the courts following Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula's ruling against the organisation's request for a secret ballot. The organisation now feels that Mapisa-Nqakula should have not declined their request and are hoping the court will set aside her decision.

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Vuyo Zungula, the ATM president, says Members of Parliament are not protected against abuse from the political organisations they belong to and this can be seen in previous court cases, according to SABC News.

Zungula says the current voting system is against the rules of Parliament because a party's chief whip will stand up and say their political organisation has a certain number of MPs and state how the party's members will be voting.

"If the chief whip says we are as a party, voting in this particular manner, then it means it’s no longer Members of Parliament voting individually, and in accordance with their conscience,” says Zungula.

Mapisa-Nqakula will be defending the decision she made on 16 February in open court as well. The Speaker has stated that ATM asked her to review her decision, but she refused to do so because she believes that her decision was correct.

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Mapisa-Nqakula says ATM has taken her refusal to review her decision as a new opportunity to fight for a secret ballot. The Speaker states that her decision was both rational and lawful.

According to IOL, the motion of no confidence vote is expected to take place on Wednesday, 30 March.

Cyril Ramaphosa responds to vote of no confidence, vouches for his ministerial cabinet

Briefly News previously reported that following harsh criticism of SA’s ministerial cabinet from the opposition party, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa maintains that the country has confidence in it.

This comes after DA leader John Steenhuisen called for a motion of no confidence in Ramaphosa’s cabinet, saying SA needs a new cabinet at the State of the Nation (SONA) 2022 debate. He said a “simple majority” was needed to pass the motion in parliament.

Responding to the debate on Wednesday, 16 February, Ramaphosa said in his speech:

“I preside over a cabinet of ministers in whom I and the people of SA have the greatest confidence and expectations as president and, much more importantly, in whom the people of our country also have confidence and highest expectations.”

Source: Briefly News