JOHANNESBURG, November 9 (ANA) – The move by Democratic Alliance to have Parliament declare a motion of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma was an abuse of the parliamentary system and the electorate by the opposition party, the ANC parliamentary caucus said on Wednesday.
“Since the start of the current term of Parliament, which is just over two years old, a total of seven motions have been tabled by the opposition,” the party said.
“It is worth stating the obvious fact that one does not need substantial grounds or any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the President to call for a motion of no confidence in terms of Section 102 of the Constitution.
“This has thus opened the floodgates of abuse of Parliament’s time and undermining of the electoral will of the people, through the opposition’s whimsical and arbitrary invocation of this motion on a regular basis for sheer grandstanding.”
Following the release of the explosive “State of Capture” report by former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, which implicated Zuma, Eskom boss Brian Molefe, among others, the DA tabled a debate on motion of no confidence against Zuma set to take place on Thursday.
Madonsela recommended that a judicial commission of inquiry into the influence of the wealthy Gupta family, who are said to be wielding too much power on Zuma, the cabinet and state enterprises, be established within 30 days after the release of her report.
The African National Congress (ANC) said the report did not make any guilty findings against Zuma.
“By calling for this motion, ostensibly on account of the Public Protector’s report, the DA is deliberately putting the cart before the horse. The report has not made any definitive guilty findings or conclusive orders against any implicated individual, let alone President Jacob Zuma.”
“Instead, it has brought to the fore a wide range of crucial but inconclusive matters which must be thoroughly dealt with by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry.”
– African News Agency (ANA)
