Maimane defends stance on Zuma ‘censure’

Cape Town - 140520 - Mmusi Maimane and his wife Natalie speak to the Cape Argus at their hotel before the swearing in of new members of parliament and the first sitting of the new parliament. Reporter: Murray Williams Picture: David Ritchie (083 652 4951)

Cape Town - 140520 - Mmusi Maimane and his wife Natalie speak to the Cape Argus at their hotel before the swearing in of new members of parliament and the first sitting of the new parliament. Reporter: Murray Williams Picture: David Ritchie (083 652 4951)

Published Nov 23, 2014

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Cape Town - It will take a miracle to revive a deal struck by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to resolve the crisis in Parliament, according to the ANC, while opposition parties have turned on the DA, blaming it for collapsing the agreement.

Ramaphosa is to meet opposition leaders at the Union Buildings in Pretoria tomorrow morning to discuss the way ahead, his spokesman, Ronnie Mamoepa, confirmed on Saturday.

However as things stand, the deal, in terms of which Ramaphosa would chair a committee of political leaders in Parliament to seek a solution to the crisis through a political process, is off.

Unless it is revived, a report recommending the suspension of EFF MPs for up to 30 days without pay, which had been held in abeyance in terms of the deal, is likely to be adopted when the National Assembly returns for an unscheduled sitting on Tuesday to complete its business for the year.

ANC caucus spokesman Moloto Mothapo said as far as the governing party was concerned, the deal “remains in tatters”.

 

Meanwhile, a picture has emerged of frantic behind-the-scenes efforts to rescue the agreement after it began to unravel over a DA motion to censure President Jacob Zuma for his failure to return to Parliament, as he is required to do at least once a quarter, to answer questions in person.

After the meeting between Ramaphosa and opposition leaders on Tuesday morning, also attended by ANC Chief Whip Stone Sizani, efforts began that evening to persuade DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane to delay or amend the motion of censure so Ramaphosa would have something to show his party’s caucus to indicate the opposition was negotiating in good faith.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa and Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota, along with Sizani, cajoled Maimane to make concessions.

Maimane agreed to delay his motion by 24 hours and also offered to consider amendments softening the motion but the deal collapsed the following day when the motion went ahead in its original form, with Ramaphosa accusing Maimane of not negotiating in good faith.

Maimane said the motion had never been discussed at the meeting with the deputy president and the principle of executive accountability could not be up for negotiation anyway.

DA chief whip John Steenhuisen confirmed there had been talks about amending the motion. However, he said Sizani had never come back to him, instead demanding that it be withdrawn completely.

“One of the things we said was we would use the word ‘rebuke’, that ‘this House rebukes the president’ or ‘expresses its extreme dissatisfaction’,” Steenhuisen said.

Political Bureau

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