President Cyril Ramaphosa will face the first real test of his presidency on March 30 when South Africa’s parliament will decide on a motion of no confidence in his leadership which is being jointly sponsored by two opposition parties.
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said there will be a second motion of no confidence on the same day in the fitness of Ramaphosa’s entire cabinet to continue holding office.
The motions of no confidence were tabled by two opposition parties – the ATM and the Democratic Alliance (DA).
“In the scheduling of the two motions of no confidence in the president and in cabinet, we are proposing the date of March 30 for both the debate and the voting for these two motions which have been submitted by both the ATM and the DA,” she said.
According to the Speaker, voting on both motions would be done openly and there would be no secret ballot.
For the votes of no confidence to pass, they will need 200-plus votes or at least 51 percent of the ballots in a parliament dominated by Ramaphosa’s African National Congress.
NM/jn/APA