Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma is the focus in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday at the start of the DA’s review of the 2009 decision to drop corruption charges against him, and in Parliament, where a motion of no-confidence is debated on Tuesday.
Although the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) earlier indicated it would oppose the court review, the matter was placed on the unopposed court roll as the authority had at that stage not filed opposing papers.
The DA’s court review of the April 2009 NPA decision to drop more than 700 counts against Zuma because the process had been politically-influenced comes after a five-year battle to obtain transcripts of the so-called spy tapes, which were handed over last year.
The spy-tapes are central as transcripts of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) intercepts of phone conversations of then NPA boss Bulelani Ngcuka and Scorpions head Leonard McCarthy were cited by then acting NPA boss Mokotedi Mpshe in his decision to drop charges.
Meanwhile, a second stab at a motion of no-confidence in Zuma will be debated on Tuesday, two weeks after AgangSA controversially withdrew its motion just a few minutes into the debate. Instead of the president coming in for criticism from the opposition benches – decisive support was pledged from the ANC benches in the days beforehand – AgangSA received a tongue-lashing for playing games.
A motion of no-confidence in the president is a constitutional motion, outlined in Section 102(2), which requires a simple majority of 50 plus one, or 201 MPs in the 400-strong House, to succeed.
If such a motion of no-confidence is passed, the president and his ministers and deputy ministers must resign.
However, the ANC will ensure its numerical dominance will show in the National Assembly benches to ensure the motion is defeated.
With attendance ensured, there will also be a second run at passing the Division of Revenue Bill, which outlines the equitable division of nationally-raised revenue to the national, provincial and local spheres of government for the 2015/16 financial year.
Last Thursday there was no quorum in the House, as the vote count returned a 183 in favour and six against – or 12 votes short of a quorum. Only six opposition MPs were in the House, and voted against it, as the ANC 249-strong benches haemorrhaged 66 MPs.
It is understood that only about two-thirds of absent ANC MPs had tendered apologies, triggering a strong rebuke from the chief whip.
On Wednesday Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is back in the House to answer questions, with the country’s electricity supply challenges up first. Asked by the IFP, the question deals with load-shedding and independent power suppliers.
This comes a week after the Eskom board suspended the power utility’s chief executive Tshediso Matona, who was appointed six months ago, finance director Tsholofelo Molefe, technology head Matshela Koko and Dan Marokane, who oversees the build programme.
The suspensions come as Eskom board chairman Zola Tsotsi announced an inquiry into the troubled state-owned entity.
A joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in honour of Human Rights Day on March 21 under the theme “Celebrating the Freedom Charter, enjoying equal human rights for all” ends this parliamentary term as MPs head off on the Easter recess and constituency time.
Political Bureau