Opposition parties join forces against Mbete

11 September 2014 - 02:05 By Jan-Jan Joubert
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ORDER, ORDER: Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete warned the Economic Freedom Fighters that she would not tolerate 'anarchy' in parliament yesterday
ORDER, ORDER: Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete warned the Economic Freedom Fighters that she would not tolerate 'anarchy' in parliament yesterday
Image: ESA ALEXANDER

The leading opposition parties have united to table a motion of no confidence in Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete.

The motion will be tabled by DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane.

ANC chief whip Stone Sizani has dismissed the move as "a laughable stunt".

Mbete has drawn criticism for her alleged partisanship in her role as Speaker of Parliament.

The DA, Economic Freedom Fighters, United Democratic Movement, COPE and the Freedom Front Plus issued a joint statement yesterday claiming that Mbete was "an obstacle to constructive debate and executive oversight in parliament".

The IFP is also likely to support the vote of no confidence.

"She is useless - of course we have to vote against her," an IFP MP said last night.

The ACDP is expected to decide on its position at its caucus meeting this morning, in time for Maimane to initiate a no-confidence debate this afternoon.

The motion is part of an effort by opposition parties to pool their political resources .

Maimane and EFF leader Julius Malema sat next to each other in parliament yesterday as they listed seven reasons for Mbete to stand down:

  • Her role as ANC national chairman makes it impossible for her to act as an impartial Speaker;
  • She is compromised on the issue of executive oversight in that she disagrees with Public Protector Thuli Madonsela about the liability of President Jacob Zuma in respect of the costs of improvements to his Nkandla homestead, ostensibly for security reasons;
  • She has politicised parliament by appointing ANC politicians such as Johnny de Lange and Arthur Moloto to supposedly apolitical positions in her office at salaries of more than R1-million a year;
  • She has demonstrated poor internal management of parliament by not calling meetings of the parliamentary oversight authority, which must give information on budgeting, among other matters;
  • Failure to perform her duties as Speaker on August 21, when question time in the National Assembly was disrupted by EFF MPs;
  • Her "militarisation of parliament" by calling for the intervention of the security forces in parliamentary security arrangements;
  • Her personal integrity is questionable because she fraudulently obtained a driving licence in 1997, and supported convicted fraudster and former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni. Sizani called the opposition parties' intention to call for a no-confidence vote "too dull to take seriously" and a "desperate campaign to undermine the process that is currently unfolding in parliament's powers and privileges committee".
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