Secret ballot debate on vote of no confidence in Zuma heats up
Khoza and Holomisa fear for the safety of MPs who vote against Zuma
ANC MP Makhosi Khoza said on Tuesday that while she remained in support of having a vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma under secret ballot, such a ballot should only be under exceptional circumstances. Khoza was speaking at a packed auditorium in a debate on whether the vote should be under secret ballot. She was debating alongside UDM MP Bantubonke Holomisa and political analyst Steven Friedman. While Holomisa, whose party went to the Constitutional Court to clarify National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete’s power to decide for or against a secret ballot, Friedman said a secret ballot would preclude a slippery slope for Parliament’s role in democracy. Khoza said while there was merit on both sides of the argument, whether MPs voted for or against Zuma, it would be a telling time on whether the ANC would opt to listen to the public or themselves. "Whatever the speaker decides is her choice and discretion. But I believe that the threat is very real. ANC MPs who vote in an op...
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