Whether or not Mbete prescribes a secret ballot‚ she will have to provide ‘sound reasoning’

Whichever position National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete takes on the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma‚ she will have to provide "sound reasoning".

This is according to political analyst Ralph Mathekga‚ who was commenting on what decision Mbete is likely to make after the Constitutional Court found on Thursday that she has the power to prescribe a secret ballot in a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma.

"This constrains her space to manoeuvre‚ making it very difficult for her not to allow a secret motion.

"I think some within the ANC will try to dismiss this judgment by pointing to judicial overreaching. This argument is dishonest but it will be useful for protecting the Speaker's decision to deny a secret ballot. The court route is exhausted‚ the opposition will have no more place to take this."

In a unanimous judgment‚ the court ruled that the Speaker of the National Assembly has the power to prescribe a secret ballot.

Mbete had said that neither the constitution nor the rules of the National Assembly allowed her to do so. The court’s decision followed an application by the UDM‚ asking the court to order that the vote be conducted by secret ballot.

The application by the UDM came after Zuma reshuffled his cabinet in March‚ which resulted in him firing former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy‚ Mcebisi Jonas. The actual debate on the motion of no confidence was postponed by Mbete to allow for the court application to be finalised.

Opposition parties have been calling for a secret ballot as they believe there are members of the ANC who are tired of Zuma’s troubles with the Guptas and the manner that his administration is handling state-owned entities.

- TimesLIVE