Loud cheers and jubilant singing at ANC caucus meeting in parliament

By Gosebo Mathope

There was a hive of activity during this morning’s ANC caucus meeting, where the party was expected to meticulously go through the details of the vote of no confidence in President Zuma starting in the National Assembly at 2pm this afternoon.

Although previously reported to have decided to give the session a miss, the presidential security convoy arrived in the parliamentary precinct at about 8.30am. It was not yet clear where President Jacob Zuma was headed inside parliament

It soon became quite clear that another ANC caucus meeting had been convened to appraise all party MPs.

Chief whip Jackson Mthembu and Police Minister Fikile Mbalula had this morning told the media that the caucus had decided all ANC MPs must vote against the motion of no confidence.

One of the longest serving MPs and currently the minister of defence and military veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, is expected open the debate.

Loud cheers could be heard from the chamber, where the caucus meeting was taking place. The strong media contingent keeping tabs on the meeting speculated the caucus reached 202 nay votes. Pravin Gordhan arrived shortly after.

As the singing continued, it soon became apparent that the ruling party’s third whip notice had reached all its 249 members.

The ministers of water and sanitation as well as social development, Nomvula Mokonya and Bathabile Dlamini, worked the phones just outside the venues, calling absent comrades to come boost the numbers this afternoon, perhaps?

The only MP who might not have received the WhatsApp message about the meeting appeared to be SACP secretary-general and Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Blade Nzimande. Some wondered if perhaps he was attending to his deputy’s skirmishes at Cubana in Fourways.

After the meeting ended, the ruling party MPs emerged out of the meeting in jubilant unison.

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