Vote or no vote?: What some opposition parties are saying ahead of Ramaphosa's first no-confidence vote

Some opposition parties have expressed no interest in the first motion of no confidence faced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The debate on the motion of no confidence in Ramaphosa is set to take place in parliament on Thursday. It will be the first time MPs will debate Ramaphosa's fitness to hold the highest office since he took over in February 2018.

The motion was brought by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) in February amid load-shedding and the country's ailing economy crisis. It was approved last week Thursday by National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise.

Here is what political parties had to say ahead of the debate:

ATM

The ATM threatened to go to court if the motion of no confidence in Ramaphosa is not held through a secret ballot.

This after Modise on Tuesday declined the party's request for a secret ballot.

However, in a statement, the party said Modise's loyalty to the ANC was preventing her from conceding to the legitimate pleas of the ATM to have the vote conducted in a secret ballot.

The party was on Wednesday granted the right to argue in court that a secret ballot should be allowed for the no-confidence vote. The matter is set to be heard at 10am on Thursday.

DA

The official opposition party said it would abstain from the “frivolous” motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa.

DA MP Natasha Mazzone said the ATM is destined to fail without the support of the majority of MPs.

She said the DA's decision to abstain from the vote does not mean that party will not hold Ramaphosa accountable.

“By abstaining, we are placing President Ramaphosa on notice, because if he does not implement his economic reform strategy, as promised, we will certainly, in future, reconsider our decision to abstain from such a motion, said Mazzone.

“The enemies of growth and development are massing against the President and he must move boldly and decisively if he is serious about SA’s economic revival.

“This motion should serve as a wake-up call for the president to show some backbone by tabling his economic reconstruction and recovery plan before parliament for it to be passed and implemented without delay.”

IFP

The IFP said “the president and the executive have not performed to the optimum ability” but had “steered the ship to the best of his ability”.

Chief whip Narend Singh said they would consider the motion but would most likely support the president.

“There are a number of shortcomings, there are a number of cabinet ministers, which we feel are not pulling their weight but all in all our view is that President Ramaphosa has steered the ship to the best of his ability.

“He may have internal problems in his party but he needs to know and the country needs to know that he will have the support of people who would like to put the country first before corruption and any other misdemeanours, so we will consider our support or not but I would likely think that we would support the current president,” Singh told the SABC.

UDM

The UDM said it would also not participate in the vote “as a matter of principle”.

In a letter to Modise, UMD leader Bantu Holomisa questioned the speaker's decision for MPs to vote openly, saying it was done in secret for former president Jacob Zuma.

“If the voting process were to expose their identities, these factors would prevent members of the National Assembly to vote according to their individual conscience without undue influence, intimidation or fear of disapproval by others.

“As a matter of principle, the UDM will therefore not be participating in tomorrow’s debate and vote of no confidence in His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa,” said Holomisa.

WHAT IS THE ANC SAYING?

According to a SABC report, ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina said the ruling party was not concerned about the debate.

Majodina said she doubted that the motion of no confidence would be a success, given that the ATM only has two seats in parliament.

“As the ANC caucus, we are looking forward to that motion, let them bring it. ATM has only two seats in parliament. But our multiparty democracy allows any party to bring any motion in parliament. We are equal to the task, let them bring it,” she said.

“The people of SA have shown them that they cannot rule or govern any country hence they have two seats. Let them come with that lousy motion. The ANC is ready, that is the work of the opposition.”