South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing a no-confidence vote over alleged money-laundering and bribery during his 2017 campaign on the platform of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.
The motion for the vote was sponsored by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) in November 2020 but was postponed until February 2021 by mutual agreement with the speaker of the national assembly, Thandi Modise.
The postponement was to allow the Western Cape high court to hear an application by the party for the no-confidence vote to be conducted by secret ballot.
The court proceedings will run between Wednesday and Thursday.
“When you look at the recent political climate in South Africa, there is nothing new.
“Councillors and politicians are getting poisoned and purged.
“Other ruling African National Congress members no longer take oaths as a bloc,” Zama Ntshona, the ATM national spokesman, told Sputnik.
In their statements, lawmakers Tebogo Mokwele and Nkagisang Mokgosi, who have resigned from the Economic Freedom Fighters political party for receipt of kickbacks from Ramaphosa, admitted to each receiving 80,000 rands ($5,345) from accounts linked to the ANC presidential campaign.
Among other issues, the ATM has brought forth are irregular expenditures, government debt, the plunging of the country into recession, unemployment, increased crime rates, and the South African rand’s weak performance.
Meanwhile, South African opposition parties have shown little support for the vote of no confidence in Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa came to power after former president Jacob Zuma resigned in February 2018 amid a corruption scandal. (Sputnik/NAN)