The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) boycotted the election on Thursday in which fired ex-defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was elected as Speaker of National Assembly, accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa of “rubber stamping factional politics” and violating the “separation of powers”.
Johannesburg – South Africa’s parliament on Thursday elected a recently fired ex-defence minister as speaker, a senior position, angering opposition parties who cast doubt on her competence and probity.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was removed as defence minister this month during a cabinet reshuffle that followed a spree of deadly unrest and looting in parts of the country.
She had come under fire for perceived incompetence in responding to the violence, and for contradicting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s claim that the events had been a pre-planned “insurrection”.
Newly elected Speaker of the National Assembly Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula making her acceptance speech. #ElectionofSpeaker pic.twitter.com/vt6hWitJHa
— Parliament of RSA (@ParliamentofRSA) August 19, 2021
The ex-minister was replaced by former national assembly speaker Thandi Modise, but later nominated by Ramaphosa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party as its preferred candidate take over from Modise.
MPs chose Mapisa-Nqakula as the new speaker on Thursday, with 199 out of 298 votes.
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Opponents heckled her as she began a victory speech and booed when she thanked Ramaphosa’s graft-accused predecessor Jacob Zuma among others, a video stream of the plenary session in Cape Town showed.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s election “has disarmed parliament” from ensuring “accountability and transparency”, the main opposition Democratic Alliance party said in a statement.
“It is an indictment on the ANC and highlights their determination to render parliament… toothless,” it added.
The left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters boycotted the election, accusing Ramaphosa in a statement of “rubber stamping factional politics” and violating the “separation of powers”.
EFF Will Not Participate In The Election Of Speaker Of Parliament pic.twitter.com/zTWlbifvjX
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) August 18, 2021
Critics have also noted that Mapisa-Nqakula is under parliamentary investigation for allegedly taking five million rand ($330 000) in bribes from a defence contractor, and spending seven million rand ($462 000) on private jet holidays in New York and Paris between 2017 and 2019.
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“To see her being proposed to a position that is almost tantamount to a promotion… is seen as a reshuffle tainted by failure,” political analyst Ralph Mathekga, author of a book on Ramaphosa, said.
“Ramaphosa removed her but is leading a party that is very much divided,” he added, suggesting “forces not aligned” with the president had “prevailed”.
Ramaphosa was elected in 2018 on a ticket to root out corruption blamed for undermining the economy of Africa’s most industrialised country.
The unprecedented unrest that followed the jailing of Zuma for contempt of court last month – as well as a string of coronavirus-linked graft scandals – have piled pressure on the president to take decisive action against inept and fraudulent party members.
A new finance minister was also named during the cabinet reshuffle, as well as a replacement for ex-health minister Zweli Mkhize – lauded for his handling of the pandemic but shrouded in a corruption scandal over coronavirus communications funding.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Getty Images
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