Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Democratic Alliance announced that the Parliament of South Africa has scheduled the first meeting of the accountability committee for Monday. This committee will investigate allegations related to the “Farmgate” scandal involving Cyril Ramaphosa.
This meeting represents the next phase in the accountability proceedings against Ramaphosa, which the Constitutional Court revived this month, marking a setback for the president, as this issue has been a significant embarrassment during his presidency.
Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing in this scandal, which involved bundles of cash being stolen from a couch on his farm in 2020, raising questions about the source of the money and why it was hidden in the furniture.
George Michalakis, the parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance, stated, “The good thing is that Parliament seems to be moving forward.” He noted that the first task of the 31-member committee will be to elect a chairperson, adding, “The Democratic Alliance strongly believes that the chairperson should not be from the African National Congress.”
The Democratic Alliance is the second-largest party in a coalition government with the African National Congress led by Ramaphosa. However, the Democratic Alliance continues to criticize the president vigorously and has stated that it will hold him accountable for any proven misconduct. A spokesperson for Parliament and a spokesperson for Ramaphosa declined to comment.
Ramaphosa has filed a legal challenge against a report from an independent committee that found preliminary evidence of his misconduct, which some legal analysts say could delay the impeachment process.
The president has also threatened to seek an urgent court order to halt the impeachment proceedings if Parliament moves forward while his legal challenge is still pending.
The African National Congress holds about 40% of the seats in the National Assembly, meaning it can block any potential vote to impeach the president, which requires a two-thirds majority. The party’s leadership has expressed its full support for the president.
