Phala Phala: Shameless ANC Majority Thwarts Democracy, So Much For “A New Dawn”
13 December 2022
Today, as history repeats itself, the ANC in Parliament have once again demonstrated that the party will always come before their oath of office, the Constitution and the South African people.
ANC MPs voted today against the initiation of impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa. They did so in defiance of the Constitution that requires MPs to hold the Executive to account. They did this in defiance of the will of the South African people and to carry out the instruction of the ANC NEC to protect a President at all costs.
Equally shocking was the surprisingly high number of absentees from MPs from the opposition benches today. Impassioned speeches from opposition leaders called on ANC MPs to vote their conscience and yet so many opposition MPs did not see it fit to attend this sitting. The fact that ANC MPs defend the indefensible is disappointing but expected, but that opposition MPs would defend the actions of the President with their absence is a demonstration of how the Opposition has become complicit in the problem.
The ANC has, nevertheless, copied and pasted the Nkandla playbook and South Africans once again find themselves led by a President with unanswered questions of criminality hanging over his head. The irrational shielding of President Ramaphosa mirrors the protection of President Zuma over the Nkandla saga that produced the Constitutional Court judgment that established the impeachment process.
It must be repeated that South Africa over the last decade has had to come to terms with political leaders who are battling criminal charges and violations of the Constitution. This seems to preoccupy these leaders when the country is desperate for effective and ethical leadership over an epidemic of state corruption.
Many South Africans placed their hope in a Ramaphosa presidency in the wake of Zuma’s lost decade; they have been deeply disappointed by Ramaphosa’s inaction in key areas and the exposure of the Phala Phala scandal. South Africa cannot be held hostage by the ANC and must vote it out come 2024.
It is high time that South Africans get a president they deserve. One whose leadership is beyond reproach and after Jacob Zuma, now Cyril, it is clear that ethical leadership cannot and will not be found in the ANC.
We have also maintained that there is no “good ANC” or “bad ANC”. That the ANC is a criminal enterprise, and our position has been vindicated by this latest development.
ActionSA states to the South African people, without equivocation, that the solution to South Africa’s challenges will not be found within the ANC. The pathway to fix South Africa lies in the 2024 National and Provincial elections and the removal of the ANC from government so that Parliament is no longer used as an ANC instrument to defend their political leaders from accountability.
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Phala Phala: ANC MPs Must Vote with Their Conscience and Avert Nkandla 2.0
13 December 2022
ActionSA implores all ANC and Opposition MPs alike to vote in favour of initiating impeachment proceedings against President Ramaphosa. It is central to democratic accountability that Parliament forges ahead with a public and transparent impeachment inquiry in the interests of satisfying South Africans that their elected officials are seeking justice on their behalf against a President who has a serious case to answer for.
This comes after the Speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, convened a full, in-person sitting of the National Assembly (NA) this afternoon to consider the Section 89 Independent Panel investigation into the Phala Phala farmgate debacle. The report concluded that President Cyril Ramaphosa has a serious case to answer for relating to his involvement. Parliament now has a duty to proceed with the Section 89 impeachment process.
While we welcome the National Assembly being convened to do its work, we are concerned that this is a cynical ploy for the ANC to use its majority to close ranks and shield the President from accountability. There can be no doubt that an impeachment probe by Parliament is warranted given the serious allegations made against the President by a committee empanelled by Parliament itself. It would be manifestly irrational for Parliament to now ignore its findings.
There is cause for concern given that the ANC’s National Working Committee (NWC) issued to ANC MPs to vote to protect President Ramaphosa when the National Assembly considers the Phala Phala report.
This is not how accountability works and ANC MPs are dutybound to give effect to Section 55(2) of The Constitution which demands that Parliament exercise oversight over the Executive and hold it accountable. This instruction by the ANC NWC is a brazen attempt to circumvent that constitutional imperative and protect the President in a manner reminiscent of Nkandla.
The Section 89 concluded that there is prima facie evidence that the President may have committed:
- A serious violation of sections 96(2)(a).
- A serious violation of section 34(1) of PRECCA.
- A serious misconduct in that the President violated section 96(2)(b) by acting in a way that is inconsistent with his office.
- A serious misconduct in that the President violated section 96(2)(b) by exposing himself to a situation involving a conflict between his official responsibilities and his private business. of the Constitution.
How can any true South African vote not to explore impeachment against a President who is likely to have violated his own oath of office?
It must be repeated that South Africa, over the last decade, has had to come to terms with political leaders who are battling criminal charges and violations of the Constitution. This seems to preoccupy these leaders when the country is desperate for effective and ethical leadership.
History must not repeat itself in this regard and President Ramaphosa must be subjected to due process so that South Africans can satisfy themselves that justice is being served in this matter.
Statements issued by Herman Mashaba, ActionSA President, 13 December 2022
