DA to vote against EFF’s motion of no confidence in Thoko Didiza

The DA has announced that it will vote against the EFF’s motion of no confidence in National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza because her removal would be “premature.”

The vote was scheduled for Wednesday, 26 August from 14:00.

In the motion, EFF leader Julius Malema accuses Didiza of failing to defend Parliament, citing her decision not to oppose President Cyril Ramaphosa’s successful court application to temporarily interdict the Phala Phala impeachment’s public hearings.

He also accuses her of misleading the public, taking a decision of “profound constitutional significance” without proper legal justification, seeking legal advice after the fact from the ANC’s former treasurer-general Dr Matthews Phosa, acting in a “unilateral, opaque and non-consultative manner,” and bringing Parliament into disrepute by “persistently placing party interests above the interests of the institution.”

The DA parliamentary leader George Michalakis said the party believed removing Didiza would be “premature” and would not be the right way to strengthen parliament.

In a statement on Wednesday, Michalakis said he had met with Didiza on August 11 and raised concerns about parliament’s leadership and institutional effectiveness.

The two subsequently agreed on a number of areas for reform, including the need for greater transparency and accountability in the Speaker’s office.

The DA’s decision to vote against the motion is a significant blow to the EFF, which had hoped to garner support from other opposition parties.

The ANC has also indicated that it will vote against the motion, meaning it is highly unlikely to succeed.