Anti Zuma vote: South Africa's ruling party calls for action against defiant MP

African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament Mondli Gungubele. ANC chief whip in parliament Jackson Mthembu described Gungubele as “the worst form of ill-discipline.” PHOTO| PETER DUBE 

In Summary

• Mondli Gungubele said last week he had lost confidence in President Zuma
• ANC chief whip in parliament Jackson Mthembu described Mondli Gungubele's declaration as “the worst form of ill-discipline.”
• In a statement issued on Monday‚ Mr Mthembu called on the party leadership to take action against the MP
• Mr Gungubele joins Makhosi Khoza, who also faces disciplinary action in her province KwaZulu Natal

By PETER DUBE
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South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has said it will take disciplinary action against yet another of its Members of Parliament‚ for publicly declaring he will vote with the opposition in the motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma next week.

ANC chief whip in parliament Jackson Mthembu described Mondli Gungubele's declaration as “the worst form of ill-discipline.”

The MP last week said he had lost confidence in President Zuma who faces a fresh motion of no confidence next Tuesday, August 8, and would not vote to keep him in power as his party has ordered its MPs.

In a statement issued on Monday‚ Mr Mthembu called on the party leadership to take action against the MP saying he had become the “latest ANC MP to join a defiance campaign by publicly pronouncing that he will not vote according to the ANC party line in the upcoming motion of no confidence in President Zuma by the opposition in Parliament.”

Defiance

“His ill-discipline is no longer an ANC caucus matter as it is questioning and defying decisions of the ANC as a political centre and authority. No ANC Member of Parliament is a free agent. They are deployees of the ANC in Parliament and take their directive from the party‚” said Mr Mthembu.

He said Mr Gungubele’s utterances were utterly out of order and represented the most extreme form of ill-discipline.

The ANC has previously raised concerns through its secretary general Gwede Mantashe‚ over Mr Gungubele’s public pronouncements.

“The organisation, through its Secretary General Gwede Mantashe, has spoken to Gungubele on numerous occasions regarding his public pronouncements. We have also had discussions with the ANC leadership collective of the Gauteng province, which comrade Gungubele forms a part of and raised our concerns over his continued utterances,” he said.

Rebellious MP

Mr Mthembu also said the rebellious MP had expressly defined his political programme to be that of self-promotion masquerading as political correctness at the expense of the ANC.

He said the party was aware of the challenges facing it and was “engaged in a political programme of self-reflection and correction.”

Mr Gungubele joins his fellow MP, Makhosi Khoza, who also faces disciplinary action in her province KwaZulu Natal following remarks she made against President Zuma.

Ms Khoza, who has openly been a critic of corruption within the ANC, has repeatedly called on President Zuma to resign saying he is a disgrace. She has also been pushing for a secret ballot in the vote of no confidence in President Zuma.

READ: Defiant ANC MP calls for secret Zuma no-confidence ballot 

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