We’ve heard that Zuma’s fate hangs in the balance all too often, but it’s pretty obvious that what happens today in the Constitutional Court is going to be very closely watched by Public Looter Number One.

The United Democratic Movement’s (UDM) application for a secret vote in Parliament is being heard in ConCourt today, and if they’re successful many believe that Zuma will be ousted in the near future.

Some background from eNCA:

The UDM wants National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete to allow a secret ballot when MPs vote on the no confidence motion in President Jacob Zuma, after Mbete argued that the rules of Parliament did not provide for a secret ballot. Parliament delayed setting a date on the motion pending the outcome of Monday’s court bid…

Several opposition parties and two civil society groups are backing the court action and warned of dire consequences if  Zuma is not removed soon…

“The Constitutional Court is the last line of defence for citizens when betrayed by those who wield political power. We believe that President Zuma’s continued stay in office poses a major threat to constitutionalism in South Africa. It threatens to weaken our economy, to impoverish millions of our people, and further to corrupt and ultimately collapse our state. This negative trend can and must be reversed,” the parties said in a joint statement.

There’s a live stream of what’s going on in the court, which we’ll slot in below:

The Daily Vox have a decent explanation of what’s going down:

The court will have to deal with two matters here. The first is whether Mbete can use her discretion to choose to hold a secret ballot. The second, and more controversial, issue is whether the ConCourt can order the speaker to hold the vote of no confidence via secret ballot…

It seems likely that the ConCourt will rule that Mbete use her discretion to choose a secret ballot, but whether the ConCourt will order that a secret ballot be used remains unclear – and contentious…

In the case that ConCourt rules that Mbete must make use of open ballots for a vote of no confidence, the National Assembly still has the power to temporarily suspend that rule…

If the court rules that Mbete is able to choose to use secret ballots for the motion of no confidence, this still does not mean that she is under any obligation to do so. Her choice, however, will be seen as entirely political – many will interpret a decision against a secret ballot as a move to protect Zuma.

In the case that a vote of no confidence by way of a secret ballot is employed (either by order of the ConCourt, by a motion of the National Assembly or at the discretion of the speaker) it still remains to be seen whether 50 of the 249 ANC MPs will vote against Zuma.

According to some political pundits, who claim to have sources on the inside, there would be enough ANC MPs voting against Zuma to ensure a vote of no confidence would pass.

News24 have a live text update over HERE, which might help you make sense of the blow by blow in the live stream video above.

Let us bow our heads and pray this is the beginning of the end for the imbecile who runs this country (into the ground, if he has his way).

[sources:enca&dailyvox]