The five Democratic Alliance (DA) MPs who defected from the party just before the close of the floor-crossing window on Thursday had lost their seats, said DA Chief Whip Douglas Gibson.
”The opinion of the DA — which has been confirmed by two independent counsel — is that the law requires that for any DA MP to cross the floor, six members must cross simultaneously,” he said.
The DA had 52 members in the National Assembly on Thursday and when only five sought to cross the floor, they became what was known as ”beached whales”, said Gibson.
The office of the secretary to the National Assembly had confirmed to him at midnight that no further MPs crossed the floor after 5pm on Thursday.
”Because they could not persuade another member to cross with them, they ceased to be DA members and ceased to be members of Parliament,” he said.
Gibson said he would write to the Speaker on Friday to advise her of the vacancies and ask her to make arrangements to swear in new DA MPs.
”Should the Speaker fail to respond positively, the matter will have to be resolved by the High Court,” he said.
”They have the right to go and waste their money in the High Court,” retorted former DA MP Craig Morkel, who was one of the five defectors.
He left the DA to start his own Progressive Independent Movement out of discontent with the DA’s leadership, but said he would continue to promote its manifesto. He hoped to return to the DA once its leadership had changed.
The other four defectors — Bheki Mnyandu, Enyinna Nkem-Abonta, Richard Ntuli and Dan Maluleke — joined the African National Congress.
A war of words broke out between Morkel and the DA on Thursday, marked by accusations, counter-accusations, and each telling the other to ”shut-up”.
”Let the following be made clear: Craig Morkel was suspended from his duties in the DA because he has been charged by the SAPS with stealing the taxpayers’ money,” DA MP Ryan Coetzee remarked after Morkel’s defection.
”Given Mr Morkel’s situation, he would do well to shut up,” he said.
Retorted Morkel: ”What he [Coetzee] says there is absolutely dishonest… I put myself on voluntary suspension and I was certainly not put on suspension by [Coetzee] or [DA leader] Tony Leon.”
”I did so at a time when I felt the Travelgate case would be dealt with expeditiously. I’m beginning to feel that my constitutional right to a speedy trial is being infringed.”
Morkel announced in January that he was one of 40 MPs under investigation in the Travelgate fraud probe.
In a statement on January 26, Gibson had himself welcomed Morkel’s step as an example to the other MPs facing prosecution of how to conduct themselves under such circumstances.
”So it is best that Mr Coetzee shuts up,” said Morkel. – Sapa