South Africa’s National Assembly will debate two motions of no-confidence involving President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet when it meets in Cape Town on Wednesday, National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has announced.
While the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) tabled the motion against the cabinet, excluding the president, another opposition party, the African Transformation Movement (ATM), tabled its motion of no-confidence against Ramaphosa.
The ATM has, however, announced at the last minute that it would not take part in its own motion after the Speaker refused the party’s request to postpone it.
But the party would not withdraw the motion as advised by the Speaker so that it could bring it back at a later stage, ATM spokesperson Sibusiso Mncwabe added.
However, should the ATM’s motion be successful, the president and the entire cabinet would have to resign with immediate effect, the Speaker said.
And should the DA’s motion to remove cabinet succeed, the president would remain in office, but the rest of the executive would be forced to resign from office, according to the Speaker.
This is the first time that a motion of no-confidence would be tabled against Ramaphosa, while his predecessor, former president Jacob Zuma, survived six such motions during his eight years in power.
This would also be the first time ever that there has been a motion of no-confidence against the cabinet, according to the Speaker.
NM/jn/APA