ANC repeats history by protecting Ramaphosa – just like they did with Zuma

28 September 2022

The ANC in Parliament has once again failed in its Constitutional obligations by protecting President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet from accountability and scrutiny about alleged abuse of public resources and institutions on his Phala Phala game farm. The governing party voted against the DA’s motion to establish an ad hoc committee that would have investigated matters surrounding this theft.

The ANC is beyond the point of self-correction. They have learnt no lessons from the past decade, instead they continue to hollow out the Parliament in order to shield many in their ranks from accountability. It is truly a sad day in our democracy when a logical motion meant to enable members of parliament to do their work is shot down due to narrow political interests.

This is the same as the ANC in the 5th Parliament who protected former President Jacob Zuma and his ministers from being held responsible for Nkandla and State Capture.

All opposition parties voted in favour of the motion. The ANC and the Good Party voted against it.

Yesterday during the debate on the motion, the DA set out convincing arguments why Parliament would fail in its constitutional duties if this ad hoc committee was not established. It is precisely what the Zondo Commission’s State Capture report meant when it found that Parliament “failed to use the oversight and accountability measures at its disposal” during the Zuma years. It is clear that this trend is continuing under the Ramaphosa presidency aided and abated by the current Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula.

Parliament must be a bipartisan platform where decisions are based on principle and the rule of law and not dictated to by ANC factional battles and political jostling.

As MPs, we had a unique opportunity to fulfill our constitutional obligations of holding the executive to account, but the ruling party has shown its disdain for the institution once again.

History will judge every MP who voted against accountability harshly. In effect, a vote against this motion was a clear message to the people of South Africa that there are a set of rules for the ANC and the politically connected; while there is a different set of rules for ordinary people.

In the coming weeks, the DA will keep a close eye on the work of the section 89 panel that will look at the allegations levelled at the President, exclusively. This panel will make a determination on whether there are grounds for impeachment proceedings against the President.

Issued by Siviwe Gwarube, Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, 28 September 2022