Ramaphosa meeting a front to protect Zuma

24 November 2014

Today's meeting with the Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, served no purpose other than to protect President Jacob Zuma from appearing in Parliament to answer questions before the end of 2014.

The DA supports any initiative to improve the functioning of Parliament, and we agree to working with the Deputy President as Leader of Government Business, and other leaders in Parliament to achieve that, but today's meeting did not solve any of the fundamental issues tabled by the DA, which are the root cause of Parliament's problems. 

The Deputy President made it clear today that last Tuesday's "Tuynhuys Agreement" is off. 

The DA, with all opposition parties, stands firm that Parliament must be restored to working order. The first step in getting Parliament working is for President Jacob Zuma to account to Parliament through oral questions, as is required in terms of the Rules of Parliament. This was the primary demand of the opposition at today's meeting.

Yet the Deputy President failed today to commit to a date on which President Jacob Zuma will appear in the National Assembly to answer oral questions before the end of this year.

This demand is of great national importance to South Africa and the Deputy President should have taken it seriously.

The DA will return to Parliament at any time before the end of 2014 to question President Zuma on a growing number of pressing concerns.

If the House is reconvened at any time before the end of this year, the DA stands firm that oral questions to President Zuma must be the first order of business.

Until President Zuma accounts to Parliament, and Deputy President Ramaphosa stops protecting him, the fight for accountability is long from over.

Statement issued by Mmusi Maimane MP, DA Parliamentary Leader, November 24 2014

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