Cape Town – The speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) will in all probability spend another Christmas at the helm of the legislature as the DA “drags” its feet in its quest to unseat Masizole Mnqasela.
The DA’s no-confidence motion against Mnqasela is now expected to be tabled next year. According to insiders, no plans were in place to proceed with the process given how the year was almost over and the house would go into recess for the festive season.
“There won’t be any opportunity for them to remove the speaker as there will be no ordinary sittings before early next year,” an insider said.
“Next year you have state of the province address, it’s also not an ordinary sitting, that’s taking place in the middle of February – your normal sittings start in like March, April that time around … even then they’ll have to come with programming, there’s no provision or rules as to how the speaker can be removed.
“The DA needs to go to an ordinary sitting in order for them to table this motion and you need to remember that the speaker is a DA member … I heard that he will just say he will get a legal opinion as there’s no provision. That in itself will take a very long time.”
“Weekend Argus” earlier this year reported that the DA had decided to file the motion following an investigation by its internal structures.
Shortly after the article appeared, caucus leader Alan Winde confirmed the DA’s stance on this matter, telling Cape Talk they would file a no-confidence motion.
“It’s the last thing one wants to be doing, but I believe in due process, the rule of law and our Constitution. But when a whistle-blower brought me very serious allegations, I then informed the speaker of all the matters and said to him that if he is guilty, he should resign,” Winde told Lester Kiewit.
The DA’s chairperson in the Western Cape, Jaco Londt, told “Weekend Argus” on Friday: “No internal processes have been concluded yet … We will communicate once there are any further developments.”
The ANC’s leader of the opposition, Cameron Dugmore, said they can’t confirm nor deny on whether they will object to the motion once it’s tabled.
“There’s been a lot of talk and no action … the DA claimed it will file a motion, but nothing yet. If and when the motion is filed, the ANC will then decide on the way forward,” Dugmore said.
Earlier this year, the party’s Federal Legal Commission (FLC) recommended that Mnqasela be charged with misconduct over the results of an internal party investigation into allegations of irregularities pertaining to subsistence, travel and entertainment allowance claims.
Mnqasela at the time said: “As a seasoned democrat and fervent adherent to human rights and rule of law, I deem this action by FedEx as prejudicial, unfair and unconstitutional, and goes against the ethos of what we champion and trumpet as the DA.”
Mnqasela, who was suspended from party activities, was also investigated for discrepancies in the declaration of his interest in a family trust, something the committee found him guilty of. He took the decision on appeal.
On Thursday, a special WCPP sitting descended into chaos following several incidents of heckling and interruptions, which included the ANC’s Andile Lili.
This saw deputy speaker Beverley Schäfer adjourn the house, but when the session resumed, the ANC claimed they were locked out.
“The ANC caucus returned to the house to continue with the sitting only to find the doors locked, lights off and a message indicating that the sitting shall not resume,” said Dugmore.
“The ANC in the legislature has on several occasions raised its concerns about the deputy speaker’s poor handling of the house. If anything, the failure to complete (Thursday’s) sitting showed nothing but Schäfer’s continued abuse of her powers to target unfairly and vilify African members of the ANC.”
The DA hit back, laying any and all disruptions at the feet of the ANC.
“The DA condemns the blatant attempts by member Lili to descend the House into chaos. His actions were nothing short of an attack on the democratic processes and work of the WCPP and a blatant attempt to destabilise the House, affecting the consideration of legislation on the Order Paper,” said the DA’s chief whip, Deidre Baartman.
“This is the second time this year that the ANC has disrupted the work of the WCPP with frivolous points of order, interjections and grave disorder.”
Weekend Argus