Opposition parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and some members of the ruling party ANC marched to the Office of the Public Protector in Pretoria on Friday to demand the release of the report into the Phala Phala scandal.
The report concerns a probe into the burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm in Bela-Bela, Limpopo,which was opened by former State Security Agency director-general Arthur Fraser.
Fraser opened the case against Ramaphosa in June, accusing the president of concealing the crime from police and defeating the ends of justice, kidnapping, interrogation and bribery.
The ANC’s Carl Niehaus was also at the protest, he said that Ramaphosa must be held accountable.
“There are opposition parties here, there are members of the civil society here and there also members of the ANC, like myself, and every member of the ANC should have been here,” This is not an opposition march but a march about principles” he said.
The march comes after Ramaphosa was given another extension by the South African Reserve Bank to respond to questions posed to him regarding the 2020 robbery at his Limpopo farm.
UDM deputy president Nqabayomzi Nkankwa said that they were at the march to ensure that Ramaphosa was held accountable.
“If he is trying to run away from accountability, we are going to go directly to the institutions that are making it possible and easy for the president not to account to the public.”
Last week, political parties in Parliament nominated candidates to serve on the panel to investigate the Phala Phala case. They are expected to decide whether Ramaphosa will be subject to a process that may lead to his removal from office.
The panel will have 30 days to do its work and present a recommendation to Parliament.
Earlier this month, speaker of parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula had referred to an independent panel the African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) call for Parliament to set up an inquiry into the Phala Phala saga.
Section 89 of the Constitution provides for the National Assembly to remove a president of the republic from office on the grounds of either serious violation of the Constitution or the law, serious misconduct, or an inability to perform the functions of office.
Speaking on the sidelines of the protest EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tambo rubbished the assertion that the president is willing to cooperate with the probe.
The acting public protector Kholeka Gcacela said her office wants a thorough report that will stand any legal challenge.
” We are ready to release the report once we done with it. We assure the public that there is no political influence in the public protector’s office” she added
Opposition parties have threatened court action against Gcaleka if she does not release her report on Ramaphosa in seven days.
~ Bongani Siziba
