Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete has given the go ahead for a secret ballot on tomorrow’s Motion of No Confidence debate against President Jacob Zuma.

Making the announcement Mbete said she had taken “due and impartial consideration of all the factors” in making her decision.

She said she was mindful of the fact that a motion of no confidence was a “powerful tool towards holding the president to account” and that MPs are obliged to to act in accordance with the Constitution above party allegiances.

In June‚ the Constitutional Court ruled that there was scope in the Parliamentary rules for a secret ballot‚ and ordered Mbete to make the decision.

The matter was taken to court by the United Democratic Movement.

At the weekend‚ Mbete told the Sunday Times that she had not been delaying making the decision‚ but that it had been a difficult process.

The motion will take place at 2pm tomorrow.