Cape Town - The ANC has accused the DA of undermining democracy by proposing to table a motion to dissolve Parliament and for early elections be held.
ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu said on Wednesday the move by the DA was a regime change agenda and the party wanted to subvert democracy.
“This planned motion shows that the DA does not respect our democracy or the electorate,” ANC caucus spokesperson Nonceba Mhlauli said.
“They have no regard for the will of the people as expressed through democratic outcomes of the 2014 general elections where 62% of the electorate gave the ANC a mandate to govern this country until the next general elections.”
Mhlauli said they would defeat this motion by the DA as they had defeated previous motions to overthrow the ANC government.
The party also said it was disappointed that more than 25 of its MPs voted with the opposition against President Jacob Zuma and would deal with the matter.
Mhlauli dismissed the list circulating on social media with the names of ANC MPs who voted with the opposition on Tuesday, including that of Thabo Manyoni and Mthembu. Manyoni left Parliament a few weeks ago.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said that after the ANC failed this week to support the DA to remove Zuma, they wanted Parliament to be dissolved and early polls be held.
Parliament’s spokesperson Moloto Mothapo declined to comment.
Maimane said holding early polls was the only way to remove Zuma from office. Despite the fact that some ANC MPs backed the opposition on Tuesday in the motion of no confidence, the majority of ANC MPs stuck with Zuma.
This showed the ANC was not committed to fighting corruption. Maimane said they would talk to other parties on their motion.
However, EFF leader Julius Malema said he would not support any move to subvert democracy and remove the ANC. He said the ANC was elected in 2014 with a clear mandate until the next elections in 2019.
He said that mandate cannot be cut short by other means.