Parliament - Parliament weighed in on reports of a ruling party witchhunt on African National Congress (ANC) MPs who voted in favour of the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma last week, and said there was no way anybody could establish how a particular deputee voted in the secret ballot.
"Parliament notes public debate regarding how certain MPs voted during the secret ballot to consider the motion of no confidence in the President on 8 August," the legislature said.
"Parliament wishes to reaffirm that all the necessary measures were put in place to ensure that the integrity of the secret ballot is not compromised, thereby making the identity of the voter impossible to trace."
At least 26, but as many as 35, ANC MPs defied party instructions to support the motion tabled by the opposition after Zuma fired Pravin Gordhan as finance minister in a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle in May. The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has opened disciplinary charges against senior MP Makhosi Khoza, who declared before the vote that she would vote according to conscience.
Gordhan did the same, as well as his former Cabinet colleague Derek Hanekom, and ANC MP Mondli Gungubele.
Gungubele has shrugged off suggestions by the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association that they would be sanctioned, telling media that the vote was secret and nobody knew how they voted.
Parliament said the only printing on the ballot papers used in the vote was an authentication stamp and three options against which to make a mark: No, Yes or Abstain.
"To further ensure maximum secrecy of the process, no gadgets were permitted in the voting booth, photojournalists with zoom lens cameras were requested to vacate the gallery and chamber broadcast camera controllers were ordered not to focus on voting booths."
It said the ballot boxes were then stored in archive boxes under lock and key, and could only be opened by order of the National Assembly Speaker or a court of law.
Zuma survived the vote with 198 votes against 177. There were nine abstentions.