National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete is opting to keep all spectators waiting, regarding pressing questions MPs have about the upcoming vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma. This comes as opposition parties in Parliament are upping the pressure on the speaker to make an announcement on whether the vote of no confidence will take place by secret or open ballot. Opposition parties made the submissions to the office of the speaker by Friday, and released a joint statement in which they suggested that Mbete could not preside over the vote of confidence objectively as an ANC top six official and hopeful successor of Zuma in the party’s December conference. In June, the Constitutional Court reaffirmed the speaker’s powers to decide whether a vote ought to take place under the rules of a secret or open ballot. Opposition MPs and some ANC MPs believe a secret ballot will give ANC MPs the freedom to "vote with their conscience, free of intimidation". Asked whether Mbete would recu...
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