The ANC Free State Caucus in a press statement this morning said that they had noted the stance taken by opposition parties (Democratic

Alliance‚ Economic Freedom Fighters and the Freedom Front Plus) in the

Free State Legislature to boycott Free State Premier Ace Magashule’s final state of

the province address scheduled for tonight at the AfriDome in Parys.

In the statement they say: “We want to make the point that the Multiparty Whips meeting which was convened

to discuss the submission made by the DA for a ‘’matter of urgent public importance-

motion of no confidence in the Premier’’ found that the whole process was

procedurally flawed and not in accordance with the Rules of the Free State Legislature.””

The reasons given was that “the submission was unclear about which of the procedures the DA wanted

the committee to resolve upon as the two (matter for urgent public importance

vis-a-vis motion of no confidence in the Premier) are not synonymous but are

in actual fact two distinct processes.”

Secondly, the  caucus stated that the rules of the Free State Legislature only permit for a motion on a

matter of urgent public interest which the DA submitted late after the programming

committee had adopted the programme for the first term.

Thirdly, it is said that the rules do not permit for a motion of no confidence but rather a vote of

confidence instead.

“Based on the above, the committee resolved that the matter brought forward by

the DA was not urgent and upon being aware of this, the DA duly instructed their

legal representative to withdraw their court application for a debate on a motion

of no confidence with costs.”

“This to us indicated an apparent lack of understanding of the Rules of the Free

State Legislature .”

“In conclusion, we wish to dismiss the allegations levelled at the Speaker of the

Free State Legislature as well the ANC Chief Whip .”