Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, through his Parliamentary Counsellor, has today, 20 November 2014, advised leaders of parties represented in the National Assembly that the process agreed among parties earlier in the week has been rendered unworkable by the censure motion tabled by the Democratic Alliance. 

The Deputy President nevertheless remains committed to working with other parties to address the current situation in Parliament.

Enclosed below is the text of the letter by Dr Gerhard Koornhof to parliamentary leaders:

“Dear Colleague,

The Leader of Government Business has asked that I write to you with regard to the agreements reached in his meeting with leaders of political parties in Tuynhuys on Tuesday 18 November 2014.

As you are aware, the Democratic Alliance tabled a motion in the National Assembly yesterday calling for the censure of President Jacob Zuma.

The view of Deputy President Ramaphosa is that the DA’s decision to proceed with the censure motion is inconsistent with the understanding reached in that meeting. The subject of the motion goes to the heart of the need for a political solution.

The Deputy President released a public statement last night, which, among other things, said:

“All parties represented at that meeting agreed to a process that would seek a political solution to the untenable situation in Parliament. They consequently agreed that various Parliamentary processes be held in abeyance pending the outcome of the multi-party engagement. The DA’s motion violates the spirit of this agreement.

“We are not going to be successful in restoring the dignity, integrity and standing of Parliament if parties cannot trust each other to honour their undertakings.

“We are concerned that the DA does not share our commitment to work towards the achievement of a climate in Parliament that enables members of the executive to appear before Parliament to account fully and properly…

“As the Executive, we remain committed to genuine and sincere partnerships to restore the integrity, stature and effectiveness of Parliament.”

The actions of the DA have rendered the process agreed upon at Tuesday’s meeting unworkable. The process simply cannot proceed under these conditions.

The Leader of Government Business remains committed to working with other parties to address the current situation in Parliament. He believes the majority of parties in the National Assembly share this commitment and is hopeful that we can still find a way to work together to restore the dignity and integrity of this institution.

Yours sincerely,

Gerhard Koornhof, MP

For more information contact Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853.

Issued by: The Presidency

Pretoria