Daily news update: DA’s no-confidence motion, Parliament vs Mkhwebane and Mani sentenced

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Daily news update 31 March 

DA’s motion of no confidence against Cabinet fails

The motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet has failed, after the Democratic Alliance (DA) could not get at least 201 votes for it to be passed.

Although the motion was supported by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Freedom Front Plus, ACDP and UDM, the IFP, GOOD and Al Jama-ah were against it.

231 MPs voted against the motion of no confidence in Cabinet, while 131 voted for the motion and one MP abstained.

ATM’s no-confidence motion against Ramaphosa postponed

The ATM’s vote of no-confidence motion against President Cyril Ramaphosa will not proceed to be debated in Parliament due to litigation.

Proceedings got underway on Wednesday with MPs arguing over the motion to go ahead or not amid the African Transformation Movement’s (ATM’s) court challenge on the secrecy of the ballot.

The ATM had refused to participate in the debate and vote on the motion, arguing that the matter cannot proceed because it was sub judice as per the rules of Parliament.

“Number one, we are not proceeding. Number two, we are not withdrawing up until this matter is finalized by the court,” ATM president Vuyo Zungula said during the proceedings.

NSFAS thief sentenced to five years in jail

The Walter Sisulu University student who was convicted of the theft of National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds has been sentenced to five years in jail.

Magistrates Twanette Olivier handed down sentencing on Wednesday.

Sibongile Mani was found guilty of theft on 7 February after she used R818 000 of the R14 million that was accidentally deposited into her student account on 1 June 2017.

Prior to the R14 million, which was deposited into her account erroneously, she never spent her R1 400 monthly stipend on prohibited items.

Mkhwebane impeachment: Parliament to oppose Public Protector’s recession application

Parliament says it will oppose Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s recession application as she faces impeachment.

Earlier this month, Mkhwebane filed her papers to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt), seeking an order for the apex court to rescind its own ruling.

The ConCourt in February gave Parliement’s  Ad Hoc Committee on the Section 194 Inquiry green-light to proceed the impeachment process against Mkhwebane.

Section 194 of the Constitution deals with the removal of a head of a Chapter 9 institution.

Numsa warns of national bus passenger sector strike over Easter holidays

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) on Wednesday warned that its members in the bus passenger sector were on the verge of a national strike ahead of the Easter long weekend next month.

This after wage talks with employers in February at the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBC) deadlocked and Numsa lodged a dispute.

According to the union, there have been no meaningful wage increases in the bus passenger sector since 2020 and 2021.

400 Congolese refugees expected to leave SA through voluntary repatriation

Forty-nine refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were voluntarily repatriated to their home country last week from South Africa.

The refugees were the first group of refugees from the DRC living in South Africa, who had expressed a desire to return to the Central African nation after fleeing conflict, persecution and human rights abuses.

They landed in the DRC last Friday after a collaboration between the Department of Home Affairs and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

According to the UNHCR, there were less than 57,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from DRC living in South Africa last year.

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