Mahlatsi asked how, in a country where there are regular elections which are deemed free and fair by various bodies including the Independent Electoral Commission, can one arbitrarily call for such an establishment.
“It is much more disturbing to learn of these calls in a world where we have very real and emerging threats to international peace and stability as indicated by the volatility in Mozambique through the insurgents as well as far away places such as Myanmar,” she said.
Mahlatsi said Holomisa needed to be reminded that Article 130 of the AU Constitutive Act which stipulates that, “governments which shall come to power through unconstitutional means shall not be allowed to participate in the activities of the Union”.
“Is it possible that the illegitimate calls for an interim government are borne out of the repeated fear for failure once more at the local government polls by this two MP party? For an esteemed MP such as Holomisa, it is dangerous to lobby that the Constitutional Court becomes an active agent in staging illegitimate coups, thus undermining the constitution and the will of the people of SA,” she said.
Mahlatsi said SA's democracy was maturing and Holomisa should not take it back to the old days of autocratic rule,
“As the ANC, we believe that it is in the common interest of all South Africans to attend to our immediate challenges of winning the battle against the Covid- 19 pandemic. Holomisa needs to refocus his party to deal with these challenges and stop playing childhood pranks and gimmicks,” she said.
Responding to media reports of a national shutdown by ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule's supporters at the weekend, Holomisa tweeted that “this implosion is going to affect us all”.
He called for an interim government which would be in place until the next general elections in 2024, saying the ANC would hand over power to the Constitutional Court which would structure such an interim arrangement. The SABC quoted Holomisa further saying that such a move would afford the governing ANC time to sort out the infighting and allegations of corruption levelled against some of its deployees.
“Let us have a plan B because if that civil disobedience does take place it’s going to stretch security forces [and] we might end up having killings in the process.
“The ANC is imploding, perhaps an interim government can be drawn from civil society. For those who are doing wrong things, the law must take its own course because some of these deployees are still being called to Luthuli House to go and account there instead of following the laws of the country.
Between now and 2024 the ANC will be in a position to go and sort out its mass infighting,” it reported.
TimesLIVE
ANC MP slams 'autocratic' Holomisa's call for interim government
The ANC in parliament has fired off a missive in response to UDM leader Bantu Holomisa's call for the dissolution of the elected government and appointment of an interim one until the next general elections.
ANC MP Dibolelo Mahlatsi has described Holomisa's call at the weekend as misinformed, misguided and opportunistic.
“Laughable as this call was, it proved the rich isiXhosa saying that 'uHolomisa uvukwe likakade'," she said. The phrase translates to “Holomisa is back to his old habits”.
Mahlatsi cited Holomisa's rise to power in the former Transkei homeland, through a coup, saying it was clear the UDM leader could not work in a democratic system and still yearned for the days of “his autocratic rule” as a Bantustan leader.
“His latest stunt of a coup via the back door calls of a so-called ‘interim government’ cannot be left unchallenged. Based on flimsy evidence and frivolous claims, Holomisa wants the judiciary, supported by the Constitutional Court, to take over government and establish what he terms an interim government.”
Mahlatsi asked how, in a country where there are regular elections which are deemed free and fair by various bodies including the Independent Electoral Commission, can one arbitrarily call for such an establishment.
“It is much more disturbing to learn of these calls in a world where we have very real and emerging threats to international peace and stability as indicated by the volatility in Mozambique through the insurgents as well as far away places such as Myanmar,” she said.
Mahlatsi said Holomisa needed to be reminded that Article 130 of the AU Constitutive Act which stipulates that, “governments which shall come to power through unconstitutional means shall not be allowed to participate in the activities of the Union”.
“Is it possible that the illegitimate calls for an interim government are borne out of the repeated fear for failure once more at the local government polls by this two MP party? For an esteemed MP such as Holomisa, it is dangerous to lobby that the Constitutional Court becomes an active agent in staging illegitimate coups, thus undermining the constitution and the will of the people of SA,” she said.
Mahlatsi said SA's democracy was maturing and Holomisa should not take it back to the old days of autocratic rule,
“As the ANC, we believe that it is in the common interest of all South Africans to attend to our immediate challenges of winning the battle against the Covid- 19 pandemic. Holomisa needs to refocus his party to deal with these challenges and stop playing childhood pranks and gimmicks,” she said.
Responding to media reports of a national shutdown by ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule's supporters at the weekend, Holomisa tweeted that “this implosion is going to affect us all”.
He called for an interim government which would be in place until the next general elections in 2024, saying the ANC would hand over power to the Constitutional Court which would structure such an interim arrangement. The SABC quoted Holomisa further saying that such a move would afford the governing ANC time to sort out the infighting and allegations of corruption levelled against some of its deployees.
“Let us have a plan B because if that civil disobedience does take place it’s going to stretch security forces [and] we might end up having killings in the process.
“The ANC is imploding, perhaps an interim government can be drawn from civil society. For those who are doing wrong things, the law must take its own course because some of these deployees are still being called to Luthuli House to go and account there instead of following the laws of the country.
Between now and 2024 the ANC will be in a position to go and sort out its mass infighting,” it reported.
TimesLIVE