Parliament unaffected by the absence of Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula
Parliament said its work is unaffected by the absence of Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula who has taken special leave as she challenges a planned arrest on corruption charges.
But the Democratic Alliance (DA) said the special leave announced by Mapisa-Nqakula last week is irregular and has not followed procedure.
The party wants a motion of no confidence to be debated to remove her from office if she does not resign.
Parliamentary Spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said it is impossible to say how long the Speaker will be on leave.
But he contends her leave is in line with the house rules which require a formal motion to be tabled if more than 15 consecutive sitting days will be missed.
“Considering that the National Assembly only has three plenary sessions remaining before it adjourns at the end of March, the formal motion process will not be required in this instance.”
But DA Chief Whip Siviwe Gwarube disagrees with this reasoning and insists that Mapisa-Nqakula has not followed procedure.
“It’s clear the speaker decided unilaterally to take special leave which the rules do not cater for. And the mere fact that the deputy speaker is acting in her place, shows you that the special leave doesn’t allow her to do her job.”
The African National Congress (ANC) in Parliament has not responded to a question on whether Mapisa-Nqakula formally requested leave.
The DA said despite MPs going on constituency leave this week until the May elections, Parliament remains a competent body, and the Speaker is not unable to fulfil her duties.
-EWN
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