ANC backpedals on accountability to block President’s appearance before SCOPA 

17 February 2022

Note to Editors: Please find an attached soundbite by Alf Lees MP

The DA will continue to push for President Cyril Ramaphosa to appear before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) to explain his stated knowledge of the misuse of State funds.

On Wednesday evening, the ANC called in extra members to close ranks by voting against President Ramaphosa appearing before SCOPA.

SCOPA yesterday dealt with the response received from President Ramaphosa as well as a legal opinion obtained from the parliamentary legal office regarding the leaked recording of the President addressing an ANC meeting and saying:

“Each one of us knows that quite a bit of money that is used in campaigns in bussing people around, in doing all manner of things is often from State Resources and Public Resources and we cannot kid ourselves when it comes to that.”

The decision by the ANC to block the President’s appearance is a complete obfuscation and a vain attempt to divert SCOPA’s attention away from the clear message that Ramaphosa “knows” of the misuse and fraudulent abuse of State funds.

The ANC appears to have followed party orders by backpedalling furiously from the prior unanimous SCOPA decision to invite President Ramaphosa to appear before the committee to answer questions should his written response not be a full and clear one. The ANC members made every effort with long monologues to justify yet further delays in calling President Ramaphosa to account.

In the end, the ANC used their majority to protect President Ramaphosa and their party of being once again exposed for the criminal syndicate they are.

Issued by Alf Lees, DA Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, 17 February 2022