President Cyril Ramaphosa

The ATM’s motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa will be postponed.

This after the ATM brought an application to the Western Cape High Court to review National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise’s decision to have the vote on the motion by open ballot. The ATM insists it should be held by secret ballot.

“The MP’s faithfulness can best be, in my opinion, achieved when testing their personal conscience rather than when the MPs act on the mandate of his or her party,” ATM leader Vuyolwethu Zungula stated in his affidavit.

READ | Ramaphosa motion of no confidence: ATM’s court bid for secret ballot to be heard hours before motion

Modise said the ATM didn’t provide sufficient evidence of a toxic political atmosphere necessitating a secret vote and Parliament is constitutionally obligated to conduct its business in the open. She also mentioned the logistics of hybrid virtual sittings due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The parties agreed in chambers to postpone the matter to 3 and 4 February next year. The ATM will request Parliament to postpone the motion until after the matter has been resolved.

ATM spokesperson Sibusiso Mncwabe said the parties agreed that the motion will be postponed.

He said the application will be heard by a full bench.

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