Parliament has granted a motion of no confidence that will be debated against the Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. The motion which was tabled by the DA was approved by deputy Speaker, Lechesa Tsenoli. Tsenoli is currently the acting Speaker after Mapisa-Nqakula took special leave last week.

IT'S URGENT

The DA has called for the motion to be attended to and considered urgently because the current Parliament remains competent until May. The DA tabled the motion after Mapisa-Nqakula's Johannesburg home was raided by the Hawks last week with the former Minister of Defence accused of corruption. The party's chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said there is no reason why a special sitting of Parliament should not be called as early as next week to consider the motion. "I have written to all parties represented in Parliament, including the ANC to request their support for this motion. Mapisa-Nqakula's refusal to resign amidst this corruption scandal leaves us no choice but to bring this motion. As MPs who uphold the values of accountability, this should not be a difficult decision to make," Gwarube said.

NO LONGER SUITABLE

She added that Mapisa-Nqakula is no longer suitable to lead the National Assembly. "We are the very institution that ought to hold the executive to account; we cannot be found wanting when the Speaker is the one facing corruption allegations." Mapisa-Nqakula is facing 12 counts of corruption and money laundering allegations from her time as the Minister of Defence. She is accused of receiving R2.3 million cash as bribes from a military contractor when she was still the Minister of Defence."Parliament and the parties represented there should do the right thing; support this motion and show South Africans that this Parliament will not be a refuge for some of the worst among us," Gwarube said. Last week, Mapisa-Nqakula launched an urgent court interdict to prevent her arrest and also asked for a docket to be handed over to her lawyers.