MK Party boycott of National Assembly unlikely to stop formulation of govt
While a date has not been set yet, Parliament is due to have its first sitting next week, where the State president, deputy president, and speaker of the house will be elected.
Former President Jacob Zuma addresses members of the media under the banner of the uMkhontho weSizwe (MK) party on 16 December 2023. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/ Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s boycott of the National Assembly is unlikely to stop the formulation of government, as only 134 members are needed for a quorum.
While a date has not been set yet, Parliament is due to have its first sitting next week, where the State president, deputy president, and speaker of the house will be elected.
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The MK Party previously said it would not make its 58 members available for the sitting.
While not speaking specifically on the MK Party, secretary to Parliament Xolile George said only a third of members needed to be present in the house for the election of the executive.
“For sittings of the National Assembly to decide any matter, it must be the majority of members. It also says in Subsection 2 [of Section 53(1b) of the Constitution] for decisions of passing of legislation and bills and so on, and then you need one-third for any other decision.
“It’s written there for passing bills and any matters you need a majority of members, but for any other question or matter, one-third of members of that house, that house being the National Assembly. It governs the election of the speaker, the deputy speaker, and the president-elect. The same procedure applies in the National Council of Provinces.”
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who will be presiding over Parliament’s first sitting, said he was confident it would go ahead.
He said it was unlikely a government would not be formulated after the first sitting.
“It would mean there is no compliance [with the Constitution], it would mean there is no National Assembly that can perform its duties and so on but that’s not going to happen.
“There will be a first sitting, there will be enough members who will constitute a quorum - it will happen. I don’t think that there is a risk the National Assembly or Parliament will not be constituted.”