DA considering urgent no-confidence motion in Mapisa-Nqakula following NPA raid on her home
On Wednesday, the party’s chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, said the party was lobbying other opposition to back a possible motion for Mapisa-Nqakula’s removal.
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula arriving at the French Parliament for the 2024 Women’s Speakers Summit on 7 March 2024. Picture: @ParliamentofRSA/X
CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) is mulling over an urgent motion of no confidence in National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula following Tuesday’s search and seizure raid at her Johannesburg home on corruption allegations.
During question time in Parliament on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa chose not to answer a question about Mapisa-Nqakula fired at him from DA leader John Steenhuisen after it was ruled unrelated to the core questions.
On Wednesday, the party’s chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, said the party was lobbying other opposition to back a possible motion for Mapisa-Nqakula’s removal.
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Two weeks since the storm erupted over alleged bribes Mapisa-Nqakula received as the country’s defence minister, she’s now in the crosshairs of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)'s Investigative Directorate (ID).
But she’s maintaining her innocence.
Gwarube said that despite the parliamentary term coming to an end, the matter could not be swept under the carpet.
The DA has already submitted a complaint to Parliament’s ethics committee.
"We are considering and speaking to opposition parties about tabling an urgent motion of no confidence against the Speaker, and we will be making an announcement in this regard soon."
If the African National Congress (ANC) rallies around Mapisa-Nqakula, a motion of no confidence is unlikely to succeed.
But Gwarube said it was about more than just the numbers.
"The ANC is quick to use its majority to shield people from accountability, but we believe this is a matter of principle."
A motion of no confidence against the Speaker brought by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) a year ago failed, with the DA abstaining in that vote.