Motion of no confidence scheduled for August 3 - no decision on whether vote will be secret

Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete has scheduled the debate on the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma for August 3 but whether a secret ballot will be held is still under consideration.

The Democratic Alliance‚ the United Democratic Movement and the Economic Freedom Fighters have all requested that the motion‚ submitted in March and which was originally scheduled for debate on April 18‚ be rescheduled in the wake of the Constitutional Court ruling on the secret ballot.

"In terms of Rule 129 of the National Assembly‚ once a motion of no confidence is requested‚ the Speaker must accord such motion due priority and before scheduling it must consult with the Leader of Government Business and the Chief Whip of the Majority Party.

The motion of no confidence must be scheduled‚ debated and voted on within a reasonable period of time‚ given the programme of the Assembly‚" Parliament's spokesman‚ Moloto Mothapo‚ said in a statement released late on Friday.

The August 3 date means that the National Assembly will sit earlier than initially planned.

Mothapo said Mbete has invited "interested parties to submit their views regarding their preferred means of voting on this particular motion".

"The views of the parties‚ considered together with a host of other factors‚ including the prevailing conditions‚ would assist the Speaker to arrive at a well-informed and logical decision."

Mbete has requested that any representations be made to her by July 14‚ and she will make the final decision about whether the ballot will be secret before the debate.

- TimesLIVE