Cape Town – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has tabled a motion of no confidence against Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet, the party’s leader John Steenhuisen said on Monday.
Steenhuisen said this during his speech, as he responded to Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address (SONA), delivered last week in Cape Town.
According to EWN, Steenhuisen said if Ramaphosa was unable to hold his executive accountable for its failures, he must allow the DA to shoulder the burden and allow Parliament to fire the ministers.
The party used Section 102.1 of the Constitution to file its motion of no confidence.
“Because you’ve shown that you’re a president of talk and not a president of action, then we’re going to make it easier for you. Today, I’ve tabled a motion of no confidence, not in you, but the whole Cabinet in terms of Section 102.1 of the Constitution,” the report quoted Steenhuisen as saying.
The DA further issued a statement saying it had noted that a number of the Executive Members had been implicated in a startling number of governance failures and had not been held accountable as they should.
Read the DA’s full motion of no confidence statement below:
Today we table a Motion of No Confidence against the cabinet in terms of Section 102 of the Constitution.
If it’s not possible for President Ramaphosa to hold his Executive accountable, then we’ll take that burden off his hands and let Parliament fire them. ??#SONAdebate pic.twitter.com/fTUOKoffaH
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) February 14, 2022
During his SONA, Ramaphosa said the state needed to “create an environment in which the private sector can invest and unleash the dynamism of our economy”.
In the same breath, he revealed that policymakers were reviewing the Business Act and other legislation to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses, saying that he had appointed a team, led by former Exxaro chief executive Sipho Nkosi, to look into cutting restrictive red tape across the economy.
However, Steenhuisen was clearly unhappy with the announcement.
“…You know your Cabinet cannot be trusted to get things done. You have effectively admitted that by setting up a parallel state in your own office. Your appointment of outsiders like Sipho Nkosi, Mavuso Msimang and Daniel Mminele to do the job of your Cabinet says it all,” News24 quoted Steenhuisen as saying.
ALSO READ: SONA: ‘Fight against corruption will take on a new intensity,’ says Cyril Ramaphosa
Steenhuisen further listed a number of ministers that his party felt should not be in Cabinet – from the likes of Police Minister Bheki Cele, former State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, to name just a few, according to The Citizen.
The party’s motion of no confidence would first need to be processed by the Speaker before being scheduled for consideration.
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Compiled by Sinothando Siyolo
