Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula faces a motion of no confidence in Parliament after the acting Speaker, Lechesa Tsenoli, accepted the motion from the official opposition.
Tsenoli will now consult with the Chief Whip of the majority party, the African National Congress (ANC), Pemmy Majodina before announcing the date to debate the motion in Parliament.
Mapisa-Nqakula was in the High Court in Pretoria where she was trying to prevent the National Prosecuting Authority from arresting her.
Parliament announced on Tuesday that Tsenoli has accepted the motion from the Democratic Alliance (DA).
DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube tabled the motion last week.
Tsenoli found that the motion was in order and they now have to consult with Majodina.
“Section 54(2) of the Constitution states that the National Assembly may remove the Speaker or Deputy Speaker from office by resolution, with a majority of Assembly members present when the resolution is adopted.
“This section is enacted through Rule 28 of the National Assembly Rules, which specifies that the House may remove the Speaker or Deputy Speaker from office by resolution, in accordance with Section 52(4) of the Constitution.
“In line with the Rules of the Assembly, the acting Speaker must give an approved motion under this rule due priority. Before scheduling it, he is also required to consult with the Chief Whip of the Majority Party as required by Rule 28(5).
“A motion for the removal of the Speaker from office must comply, to the satisfaction of the Deputy Speaker, with the prescripts of any relevant law or rules and orders of the House, including directives and guidelines approved by the Rules Committee,“ said Parliament.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s legal woes began a few weeks ago after it emerged she was probed by the NPA’s Investigating Directorate (ID) that she allegedly received bribes totalling R2.3 million from a service provider in the department of defence when she was minister.
Her house in Johannesburg was raided by the ID last week.
Mapisa-Nqakula has denied the corruption allegations against her.
Political parties have been calling for her to quit after the allegations emerged.
Politics