The African Transformation Movement (ATM) on Thursday asked for the debate on its motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa to stand over after its court application for a secret ballot was postponed.

“The Speaker of the National Assembly has just received a letter from the African Transformation Movement asking for the postponement of the motion of no confidence in the president scheduled for consideration by the House this afternoon,” parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said.

The Western Cape High Court will only hear the application on February 3 to 4 next year, as per an agreement reached in chambers on Thursday morning.

The ATM sought an urgent interdict to compel Speaker Thandi Modise to allow MPs to vote via secret ballot, with party leader Vuyolwethu Zungula saying in his court papers that lawmakers should be allowed to exercise their “personal conscience” rather than follow party orders.

It would have been the first motion of no confidence Ramaphosa faced.

Though the ATM has only two seats in Parliament, the vote would have coincided with another political crisis within the African National Congress (ANC) as the party grapples with the refusal so far of secretary-general Ace Magashule to relinquish the position as he faces corruption charges.

Modise had filed papers opposing that application to force her to call an open ballot.

Parliament has seen similar legal contestation over allowing a secret ballot when former president Jacob Zuma faced numerous votes of no confidence.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) had said it would abstain from the debate, terming it frivolous and doomed to failure.

“The ATM – a side project of the Zuma/Magashule faction in the ANC – is destined to fail without the majority support of MPs,” DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone said.

“The two ATM MPs, together with a large portion of ANC MPs, will need to vote in favour – a step which may also place a number of Zuma/Magashule allies in the Ramaphosa cabinet on the chopping board,” Mazzone said.

Parliament is due to enter its Christmas recess before mid-month.