EFF: EFF welcomes the ConCourt judgement on the secret ballot

22nd June 2017

EFF: EFF welcomes the ConCourt judgement on the secret ballot

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng
Photo by: Reuters

EFF welcomes the unanimous judgment handed down today by the Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng on the Secret Ballot.

It must be embarrassing again for the Constitutional Court to correct the Speaker of Parliament on an incorrect decision she took relating to whether she has the power to order a secret ballot or not.

That it has to take a Constitutional Court to interpret the rules to the speaker is a statement of no confidence in her capacity to be in the position of Speaker of Parliament in the first place.

In as much as the Constitutional Court did not order the Speaker to prescribe the secret ballot, there is no confusion anymore as and when requested by MPs to do so, she has the power to determine that voting in a motion of no confidence shall be by a secret ballot.

As the EFF, we have no other interest but that a motion of no confidence in Zuma be held by a secret ballot. We shall therefore watch with keen interest what Mbete's decision shall be. From the judgment of the constitutional court, the Chief Justice is very clear that such a decision must be based on rational reasons.

We therefore warn Mbete that should her decision be to not grant the secret ballot, her reasons must be very sound and based on the law. Otherwise, we shall take her decision on review.

It is high time that as MPs we exercise the vote of no confidence in secret to best express our consciences. This is because Zuma's cabinet reshuffle was not only irrational, but it represented a constitutional bridge in that it was decided not by himself and elected representatives, but by his business partners, the Gupta family.

His decision was also based on a non-existing intelligence report that minster and deputy minister of finance were betraying the country.

Zuma singlehandedly caused the economic regression of junk status and recession by his irrational decisions which only privilege his corrupt interest; thus he must be removed.

 

Issued by EFF