Parliament's rules on the table in ConCourt

No Fear No Favours No double standards.......

The IFP’s Mangosuthu Buthelezi, DA’s Lindiwe Mazibuko, COPE’s Mosiuoa Lekota and ACDP’s Kenneth Meshoe at a briefing where they announced their intention to raise a motion of no-confidence in President Jacob Zuma. Picture: Rahima Essop/EWN.

Rahima Essop | 2 hours ago
CAPE TOWN - Parliament's rules will come under scrutiny in the Constitutional Court on Thursday.

In November last year, several opposition parties tabled a motion of no-confidence against President Jacob Zuma but the African National Congress (ANC) blocked the debate in the National Assembly.

The opposition leaders cited the Marikana killings, the Nkandla upgrade and the Limpopo textbook saga as reasons why they had lost faith in Zuma's ability to lead the country.

When Democratic Alliance (DA) Parliamentary Leader Lindiwe Mazibuko failed to convince the Western Cape High Court to intervene she filed papers in the Constitutional Court.

The matter will be argued today.

Mazibuko said she wanted a concrete decision on the validity of Parliament's rules as it relates to the motion.

“Ultimately the rules of Parliament have fallen short in this respect. What they should do is enable a member from any party, whether it’s a majority or a minority [party], to bring a motion of no-confidence and have it tabled and debated as a matter of urgency.”

In 2012, the Western Cape High Court identified a loophole in the National Assembly's rules regarding motions of no-confidence.

Since then political parties have met to try to establish new procedures to handle motions of no-confidence, but they have been unable to reach consensus.

Mazibuko believes Parliament failed to uphold its constitutional obligation to schedule her motion for debate within a reasonable time.

But the ANC claims opposition parties wanted to stir trouble ahead of the party's Mangaung conference in December.

The ANC’s Moloto Mothapo said: “Parliament was required to submit a progress report with regards to the efforts being made in order to address what the judge of the Western Cape High Court has regarded as a lacuna in the current rules.”

National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu and ANC Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga are both respondents in the Constitutional Court case.

(Edited by Tamsin Wort)

EWNews

COMMENTS BY SONNY

Let us see how the cards are loaded in favour of Democracy in SA.

Will SA move forward or stagnate NOW.

The people shall rule SOUTH AFRICA.