CAPE TOWN, Aug. 7 (Xinhua)-- The ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Monday voiced full confidence in the loyalty of its MPs when voting in a no confidence motion by secret ballot against President Jacob Zuma.
"We do not nor have we ever doubted their loyalty and discipline in relation to the decisions of the movement," the party said in response to a decision by Parliament Speaker Baleka Mbete to allow a secret ballot in the upcoming anti-Zuma no confidence motion.
Mbete announced the decision earlier on Monday "after taking due political, legal and constitutional input."
"The ANC is on the record having said that the organization will accept and abide with any decision that the Speaker takes in this regard, having duly applied herself to the considerations before her," ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.
The ANC has no doubt that this frivolous motion, scheduled for Tuesday, "will fail like many before it," said Kodwa.
The opposition in South Africa exists for no other reason except to oppose the leadership, policies and programs of the ANC which have been proven through independent research to have advanced the cause of the black majority and are progressively working to create a better life for all South Africans, Kodwa said.
"The ANC welcomes the opportunity to once again use the occasion of the debate on the motion of no confidence to speak to these successes which are daily lived reality for many of our people," he added.
Opposition parties have been pushing for a secret ballot so as to encourage ANC MPs to vote with the opposition to remove Zuma from office.
But the ANC has warned that any of its MPs who support the anti-Zuma no confidence motion risk being disciplined by the party, insisting that removing Zuma from office would not be in the best interest of the country.
The 400-member Parliament is dominated by ANC MPs.
Zuma has survived seven no confidence motions which were conducted by open ballot.
Toppling Zuma requires 50 of the 249 ANC MPs to support the no-confidence motion.
Some ANC MPs have indicated that they would vote with their conscience instead of the party line.
A recent survey of market and political analysts by financial holding company Nomura shows that most of those surveyed believe that the no confidence motion would fail regardless of whether it ends up being a secret vote or not.
