The MK Party has formally requested that Parliament consider a motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa following the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the Phala Phala matter.
National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza must now decide whether the motion will be placed on Parliament’s agenda.
In a letter submitted on Saturday, the party asked that the motion be debated and voted on by secret ballot, in what marks the latest attempt to remove Cyril Ramaphosa from office.
Constitutional Court Phala Phala Ruling Fuels Pressure On Ramaphosa
The move comes a day after South Africa’s Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that Parliament acted irrationally when it declined to adopt the Section 89 independent panel report into the Phala Phala scandal.
The court ordered Parliament to establish an impeachment inquiry into the President.
The Section 89 panel had previously found that Ramaphosa may have breached his oath of office in connection with the 2020 theft of foreign currency from his Phala Phala farm and the alleged efforts to conceal the incident.
As a result, the President is now expected to face a formal impeachment process in Parliament.
Motion Of No Confidence Requires Simple Majority Vote
An impeachment vote and a motion of no confidence follow different parliamentary procedures and require different thresholds.
If Ramaphosa were to face an impeachment vote, a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly would be needed to remove him from office.
By contrast, a motion of no confidence requires only a simple majority — 50% plus one of Members of Parliament.
This lower threshold could make the no-confidence route a more attainable option for opposition parties seeking to unseat the President.
[Former ANC MPs Express Joy As ConCourt Revives Ramaphosa Phala Phala Impeachment Process]
The MK Party has asked that Members of Parliament cast their votes by secret ballot.
Before any debate can take place, however, Didiza must first determine whether the motion complies with parliamentary rules and whether it will be scheduled for consideration.
Her decision will determine whether Ramaphosa faces another significant political challenge in the wake of the Constitutional Court’s ruling.
