Opposition give Mbete deadline to decide on state of the nation address​

Opposition parties are in a new bid to force the postponement of the state of the nation address scheduled for Thursday.

This comes after National Assembly Speaker Baleka  Mbete rejected a similar call by the DA earlier this week.

The parties  have now written to  Mbete, indicating that they were ready to approach the  high court  to lodge  an urgent application seeking to interdict the address.

The parties have given Mbete until the end of tomorrow   to postpone the  address, failing which they will immediately file the planned urgent application.

They are arguing that it is “objectionable” for Mbete and her counterpart in the National Council of Provinces  Thandi Modise to allow the address   to go ahead without holding President Jacob Zuma accountable.

The parties will also be demanding that the latest motion of no confidence in Zuma, scheduled for February 22, should be voted on through a secret ballot as was the case in the previous similar debate in August last year.

• Read the full story on the Sunday Times website