Quinton Mtyala
WHILE the result of the DA’s motion to effectively impeach President Zuma was never in doubt, there were 23 MPs who were either absent or did not vote electronically when a division was called in the National Assembly.
Among those who did not cast their votes were Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, Deputy Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli, Deputy Agriculture Minister Bheki Cele and ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who has not been seen inside the halls of Parliament for years.
Most of the cabinet ministers were in attendance at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini remained quiet while the party’s backbenchers, including Thandi Mahambehlala, were vocal in heckling opposition speakers.
Dlamini had recently warned members of the ANC’s national executive not to speak out because they all had skeletons. This followed Deputy Minister of Finance Mcebisi Jonas’s confirmation of earlier media reports that he had been approached by the Gupta brothers to become finance minister in November last year, weeks before Zuma fired Nhlanhla Nene.
Mahambehlala, one of Zuma’s most vocal supporters, had – on a parliamentary site visit to the Nkandla homestead – charged in July last year that Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had misled the public about the state of the property.
On the sidelines, following his media briefing over Tuesday’s fiery National Assembly sitting, ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu said he was not aware of any of his party’s MPs who did not vote to reject the DA’s motion.
“We are not aware of any people on the ANC benches who did not vote, but we are aware of many people, about 14 or so, who were either out in hospital – like Honourable (Trevor) Bonhomme in KZN, who has been to hospital so many times. Therefore he could not have been here,” said Mthembu.
He added that Madikizela-Mandela was also often ill, which would explain her absence from Parliament.
“Others who were not there, were not there because of apologies which had been put to the whippery. But indeed, you could only not be there on the basis of an (accepted) apology.”
Asked about Davies, he said he was not aware the minister had been absent and that it would be followed up.