Colleen Makhubele, the parliamentary chief whip for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), announced that the party filed a motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday.
According to Makhubele, the reason for the motion is Ramaphosa’s inability to remove Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and to safeguard society’s most defenceless members.
During marches in Pretoria and Durban last week, the MK Party protested Mchunu’s special leave and called for Ramaphosa’s resignation.
Makhubele said Ramaphosa’s administration has become, among other things, sexist and untouchable.
“Look at how they have dealt with the issue of Senzo Mchunu and how quickly they responded to the black educated woman, [former] minister of higher education and training [Nobuhle Nkabane],” said Makhubele.
“She was just an easy and soft target, a sacrificial lamb to the GNU [government of national unity] altar.
“All things being equal and fair, Minister Senzo Mchunu should have been fired in the same breath. This is a clear act of cowardice and a decisive moment by the president.” said Makhubele.
Dismissal of Nkabane long overdue
Nonetheless, the party took note of Nkabane’s removal on social media, stating that it was long overdue and that it was a positive step towards re-establishing accountability in the higher education sector.
“Her failure to take responsibility for the Seta [Sector Education and Training Authorities] debacle, along with her lack of honesty when addressing parliament, clearly demonstrates her unfitness for public office.”
Additionally, Makhubele asserted that the vulnerable are disregarded, claiming that Ramaphosa made fun of the MK Party’s concerns and referred to them as a “laundry list” when the party described the difficulties South Africans face during last week’s budget vote debate.
Makhubele asserted that this demonstrated the GNU’s disregard for the everyday struggles of citizens, resulting in a budget that primarily benefits a select few.
“Our citizens have lost confidence in the president and the ability of the government to change lives for the better,” she said.
Scrap the electricity tariffs
She noted the Thembisa protest against increased electricity tariffs on Monday, saying the party also calls for the tariffs to be scrapped throughout the country.
The national budget has also failed to address urgent issues such as job creation, basic services, corruption, and the quality and safety of cities, according to Makhubele.
Makhubele stated that the MK Party was closely monitoring the DA in anticipation of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s national budget presentation at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday.
She said the DA has always claimed that it would not support corrupt ANC ministers and will vote against “corrupt ANC ministers”.
“If the DA fails to put this into practice on Wednesday, they might as well, as far as we are concerned, shut up and not mislead their constituency to believe it stands against corruption when it is, in fact, an enabler.”
