Cape Town - The Western Cape High Court on Friday dismissed an urgent application lodged by Agang SA to postpone the scheduling of a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma, Parliament said.
Debate on the no confidence motion which Agang proposed was scheduled to take place in the National Assembly on March 3.
“The party took the matter to court demanding that National Assembly Speaker Ms Baleka Mbete not preside over the debate because of her assumed partiality,” Parliament said in a statement.
“Agang SA also wanted a secret ballot if the motion was put to a vote.”
The court ruled that the application for Mbete's recusal and secret voting were semi-urgent and should be enrolled on a date and subject to a timetable determined by the judge president.”
The interdict sought against the scheduling of the debate was dismissed primarily on the grounds of separation of powers.
The Constitutional Court dismissed the same application earlier this month on the basis that it was not in the interests of justice to grant direct access.
Agang SA said it accepted Friday's ruling.
“It was a reasonable ruling from the judge although we would have loved for it to be otherwise,” said the party's national chairman Tshepo Setlai.
“We are disappointed but understand why the judge came to that conclusion.”
Sapa