Date: 18/03/2010
Source: the Inkatha Freedom Party
Title: IFP: Buthelezi: Speech by the IFP president, in the debate on the vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma, Parliament

It is important that this Motion of No Confidence be debated in this House.
The IFP does not support the motion, but we support COPE's right to bring
it, because it is an important exercise in democracy. Debates and decisions
about the President ought to be made in this House, and this House alone.

It is regrettable that the President has not appreciated the importance of
this debate by gracing it with his presence. It is also regrettable that our
Rules have not yet been brought into compliance with the Constitution and
best parliamentary practices requiring the voting on this motion to be by
secret ballot, as it is for the election of the President.

Today we assert how the President and his Cabinet serve at the pleasure of
the Members of this House who have the ultimate right to fire both, and the
duty to do so when necessary. If we fail to use the powers the Constitution
gives us to hold the President accountable for his shortcomings, we become
equally responsible for them, for the Vote of No Confidence empowers us all
to rectify problems. This debate should be part of such a process.

As I stated in the debate on the State of the Nation, I accepted our
President, warts and all, and pledged my personal support to ensure that he
does not fail because the country cannot afford it. The times are too dire,
the challenges too great and the risks too frighteningly high for us to
undermine the Commander-in-Chief at this juncture. But he must perform, and
perform soon.

This debate offers the opportunity for us all to qualify our support to the
President by defining what we expect of him, failing which a subsequent Vote
of No Confidence may have a different outcome.

At this juncture we pledge our support to the President, giving him the
benefit of the doubt after only nine months in office. We will keep a tight
monitoring brief on his progress, especially in respect of his stewardship
in getting us out of the economic crisis and building a competitive new
industrial basis, while creating employment and addressing crime and
corruption.

We want to see firm and immediate actions, starting from this nonsense of
hate speech which he has allowed in his ranks. The singing of the "Kill the
Boer" song destroys whatever has been achieved by way of reconciliation. It
destroys Madiba's legacy, which is our joint legacy.

As time goes by, we may reassess the situation. Although I hope this will
not be the case, it could be that the next Motion of No Confidence may be
moved by me, if the President disappoints the expectations that history has
gathered around his person.

This occasion should also prompt us to reflect again on how much better off
our Republic would be if the offices of Head of State and Head of Government
were to be split in a President who does not get involved in the daily work
of government and a Prime Minister who governs, as contemplated in a pure
parliamentary system.

In fact, it is likely that the Presidency will continue to become the
lightening rod on which the growing tensions of our society will concentrate
as long as the status quo remains, and its undermining will weaken our
Republic. A Vote of No Confidence passed on a Prime Minister as Head of
Government would not weaken the Republic if the President as Head of State
remained unaffected by it. After all, he is our President. But this dual
role of Head of State and Head of Government will continue to make him
vulnerable as long as this remains the case.