"It is declared that the Speaker of the National Assembly has the constitutional power to prescribe that voting in a no confidence motion in the president be conducted by secret ballot‚" chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said in a unanimous judgment.
Mbete had argued that neither the constitution or the rules of the National Assembly allowed her to prescribe a secret ballot.
"She was mistaken. She has the power to authorise a secret ballot. That power must be guided‚" Mogoeng said.
The court ordered that the president and the Speaker pay the costs of the application.
The judgment was swiftly hailed.