Africa-Press – South-Africa. Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula declined to institute parliamentary action against President Cyril Ramaphosa with regard to the robbery at his farm in Limpopo.
Mapisa-Nqakula declined the requests made by the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) for action to be taken against Ramaphosa concerning the allegations.
The UDM requested a parliamentary investigation into the alleged conduct of the president, which included placing him on leave, while the ATM requested the establishment of a Section 89 committee for a removal enquiry.
In a statement, Parliament said the Speaker declined the UDM’s submission on the grounds that it did not constitute or was not accompanied by a substantive motion envisaged in the rules for the enquiry to be initiated. Also, that there existed no legal basis for Parliament to compel the president to take leave.
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“For Parliament to undertake such an enquiry, there must be basis in the Constitution, the law or rules which the assembly would rely upon. The UDM has not made such a case,” it said. The ATM’s request did not constitute nor was it accompanied by a substantive motion for a Section 89 enquiry to be initiated, as required in the rules, the statement said.
The statement said:
Last week, Ramaphosa’s Presidency budget was marred by endless disruptions from opposition parties.
It came after former spy boss Arthur Fraser opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa, accusing him of money laundering.
The allegations relate to a break-in that occurred in 2020, where in excess of $4 million was allegedly concealed at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Waterberg, Limpopo.
In a letter submitted to Mapisa-Nqakula last week, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said: “These allegations have been greatly destructive of the country’s image, both at home and abroad, and is likely to affect investor confidence negatively, especially given that President Ramaphosa has acted as the champion of good governance and now this bomb has burst over his very own head.”
In a post on social media, the ATM said: The Speaker of Parliament is failing her oversight role by shielding President Ramaphosa from accounting to Parliament. The Speaker is refusing secret ballot vote against Ramaphosa. The Speaker is refusing to summon Ramaphosa on the #PhalaPhalaFarm saga (sic).
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