The DA has received a letter from the Speaker of the Free State Provincial, Mamiki Qabathe, on Friday, in which she expressed her willingness to schedule a special sitting to hear a debate and vote on a motion of no confidence in Premier Ace Magashule, but that she awaits feedback from the Multi-Party Whips Committee.
However, the Chief Whip of the Legislature, Neels van Rooyen, appears to unnecessarily delay a meeting of the Multi-Party Whips Committee, his office has already communicated that the motion is frivolous and that there is no time to consider it.
The DA cannot allow any further delay in this matter.
Rule 73 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislature empowers the Speaker to consider and decide on matters of public importance. While we appreciate that she has requested the Multi-Party Whips Committee for advice on the procedure to be followed, the decision to schedule the sitting remains hers, and hers alone.
As such, the DA has written to Speaker Qabathe this morning placing her on terms to communicate a decision on a date and time for a special sitting to debate and vote on this important motion before 12:00 noon on Wednesday, 14 February 2018, or the we shall be forced to seek relief in the Free State Division of the High Court, to compel the Speaker to schedule a special sitting in line with previous court rulings in this regard.
The DA did not table this motion of no confidence in Premier Magashule lightly.
Governance in the Free State continues its downward spiral while the Magashule regime’s corrupt patronage network continue to loot the state.
Just last week, the third Free State municipality, Maluti-a-Phofung, was placed under a Section 139 intervention joining Masilonyana and Mafube. All the while Premier Magashule has been preoccupied at Luthuli House with matters of the Jacob Zuma faction of the ANC.
It is time to remove this severely compromised Premier from office and not spend over R2 million on grandstanding event for Ace Magashule at the State of the Province Address.