Parliament must extend its programme to deal with Phala Phala report

16 November 2022

Please find attached a soundbite by Siviwe Gwarube MP.

The Section 89 Independent Panel has requested a 13 day extension to deal with the workload before them; considering whether there is indeed prima facie evidence that the President, Cyril Ramaphosa, broke the law in the matter surrounding theft on his farm.

During the National Programming Committee tomorrow, the DA will make the case that Parliament’s programme now needs to be extended to deal with this report. The panel is due to report to the Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula on the 30th of November while Parliament was meant to rise on the 1st of December.

The matter cannot be delayed or deferred to next year. It is urgent. No sitting President should have a question of whether or not he broke the law and by extension his oath of office hanging over this head.

In addition, the National Assembly Rules pertaining to Section 89 of the Constitution compel the Speaker to table the report before the House as a matter of urgency. It only makes sense that this is then done in the first week of December.

The DA will reach out to other opposition parties who have been calling for accountability on this matter to support the call to extend the programme of Parliament.

While Parliament has followed the rules on this process thoroughly, we cannot allow delays now that may be politically motivated. We are a separate arm of state; one that holds the executive to account. We should do so regardless of who has a case to answer for.

Our interest is only in upholding our constitutional obligation of holding the executive to account. We will continue to do so.

Issued by Siviwe Gwarube, Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, 16 November 2022