MEMBERS of the South African parliament on Thursday angrily debated the conduct of its speaker after months of accusations that she had tried to control an investigation into a $5.5 billion-dollar arms acquisition deal. Opposition parties charged that speaker Frene Ginwala of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) had abused her power to protect fellow ANC politicians implicated in graft. Democratic Alliance chief whip Douglas Gibson criticised Ginwala for blocking questions about whether ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni had taken a bribe - in the form of a Mercedes four-wheel drive - from a company linked to the deal. The motion of confidence, moved by Yengeni, was passed by an overwhelming 192 to 55 votes thanks to the ANC's strong majority.

With acknowledgment to AFP and the Daily Mail and Guardian.