President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: African News Agency (ANA)
Mashudu Sadike and Kuben Chetty
Pretoria - Opposition parties are singing the same tune that President Cyril Ramaphosa has plenty to answer to regarding the Phala Phala farm robbery.
The ATM, EFF, DA and the UDM have all spoken of their expectations on the Section 89 inquiry panel report expected to be handed to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula in Cape Town this morning.
According to them, it should find that Ramaphosa has a case to answer.
The panel, led by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, was set up after the ATM submitted a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa after former spy boss Arthur Fraser laid a criminal charge against the president and the former head of the Presidential Protection Unit, Wally Rhoode.
Five men and a woman were allegedly kidnapped to reveal where they had hidden millions of rand in foreign currency stolen from the president’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo..
Ramaphosa has denied the incident, and maintained that the foreign currency was proceeds from his game farming.
Speaking to the Pretoria News yesterday, ATM leader Vuyolwethu Zungula said the report was expected, based on the evidence, to be worthy of Parliament to look into the matter via an impeachment committee.
“We believe the panel has all the evidence to come to that conclusion, and we will study the report and make a full determination based on its contents.
“The evidence that has been submitted clearly shows there is prima facie evidence of wrongdoing by the president. We hope the report will speak to those facts regarding paid work, risk of conflict of interest, unlawful instruction handed by the president to a police general,” Zungula said.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tambo said the party expected that Ramaphosa would have a case to answer for with regard to the “crimes he committed” at the Phala Phala farm.
Tambo vowed that if that was the case Ramaphosa would ultimately be impeached as he would have broken his oath of office.
“The EFF will explore all legal and legislative means to ensure that Ramaphosa is held accountable for his criminality should an illogical and irrational finding be made that he has no case to answer to,” Tambo said.
DA chief whip in the National Assembly, Siviwe Gwarube, said Ramaphosa had “plenty” to answer for and if the independent panel found that he had no case to answer they would push for an ad hoc committee on the matter.
“It will be extremely difficult for the panel to just put this aside and say he has nothing to answer for. He owes it to the National Assembly and the public to answer. If the panel does not see it that way, we will resubmit for the ad hoc committee on the Phala Phala matter.”
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said irrespective of what the panel decided, the Phala Phala matter was not going to go away.
“One thing is certain, this matter won’t go away. Ethically he should have told us from day one what happened at the farm. Whether he declared the money to Sars (SA Revenue Service) or the Reserve Bank,” Holomisa said.
Meanwhile, Cope spokesperson Denis Bloem warned that parties should accept any decision that the panel makes.
He said: “It is very unfortunate that some political parties are even jumping the gun and threatening to go to court if the report of the panel is negative and find that President Ramaphosa has nothing to answer. We view such threats as irresponsible and undemocratic. All of us must respect the outcome of the report, positive or negative.”
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya had yet to respond to questions from the Pretoria News regarding the matter.
Pretoria News