Opposition united in praise for Mbete

Opposition parties have praised National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete for her “ground-breaking decision” to opt for a secret ballot in today’s motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma.

Soon after her announcement, opposition parties called an impromptu media briefing, where her decision was widely welcomed.

Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota said: “This is the only right decision that any speaker, male or female, could have made.”

EFF leader Julius Malema commended Mbete for going against the ANC’s wishes on the matter.

He said it was clear that she had acted in defiance of her party with her decision and encouraged other ANC MPs to emulate Mbete during the voting today.

“The ANC and Zuma did not support the secret ballot, Baleka went against the party line. Baleka was not reading a press statement, but she was reading a legal opinion. Those were not her views, that is why she did not take questions,” Malema said.

Bantu Holomisa, UDM president, stressed that the vote was not about regime change but about saving South Africa from an irredeemably compromised president.

“We hope that all 400 members [sic] of the National Assembly will put South Africa first and vote in favour of the motion. Any member who is threatened, either by his or her party or any other person, is now protected both in terms of the voting method and in law,” he said.

Lekota said if the majority in parliament voted for corruption by opposing the motion, it could not be blamed on Mbete.

He said that, instead, they would have to blame their own failure to hold the executive accountable. Malema said Mbete’s decision was a victory for the opposition, the country and the constitution.

He said the EFF would continue to lobby ANC MPs to vote in favour of the motion until the last moment before actual voting starts in parliament.

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said the marches that were scheduled for today before yesterday’s decision would go ahead.

He said today’s vote would potentially be a vote against corruption.

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said ANC MPs “can do the rational thing and vote for the motion of no confidence”.

ACDP president Kenneth Meshoe was confident that today “Zuma will be voted out of power”.

ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the ANC “reiterates its stance that we have full confidence in the ANC caucus and individual members of parliament deployed by the African National Congress”.

“We do not nor have we ever doubted their loyalty and discipline in relation to the decisions of the movement,” he said.

He added: “Accordingly, we have no doubt that this frivolous motion, which has been hyped up by opposition parties as some sort of Damascus moment, will fail like many before it.”

Kodwa said the ANC welcomed the opportunity to use the debate on the motion to speak about the success of its policies that had been proven to have advanced the black majority.

The ANC will continue to try to resolve leadership concerns, Kodwa said. – ericn@citizen.co.za