SIYABONGA SITHOLE
DA leader John Steenhuisen has lashed out at President Cyril Ramaphosa for his refusal to come clean on the Phala Phala farm scandal, following a virtual question and answer session in Parliament on Tuesday.
On three occasions, the president dodged answering questions about the farm robbery and subsequent recovery of foreign currency at his farm in February 2020.
First it was Steenhuisen then came EFF's Floyd Shivambu and ATM's Vuyo Zungula who quizzed Ramaphosa on his role during the robbery and the source of foreign currency at his farm in Bela Bela. But the president was scant on details and only said the matter was the subject of multiple investigations.
"This matter is currently being investigated by various law enforcement agencies. I have been advised that it is best to address this matter when those processes have been done," Ramaphosa told the virtual sitting of parliament.
In a statement issued after the session, Steenhuisen says Ramaphosa’s outright refusal to answer a question around the Phala Phala debacle posed to him was akin to Zuma's refusal to answer questions on the Nkandla matter.
"For hours on end in today’s sitting, the Speaker flouted parliamentary rules and processes by disallowing members of parliament to rightly interrogate President Ramaphosa over Phala Phala, an abominable indictment on the independence and impartiality of the office of the Speaker, and on the integrity of parliament as South Africa’s chief oversight institution," he said.
"Now, more than ever, parliament needs to establish an ad-hoc committee to investigate Phala Phala, a request that the DA has repeatedly called for, and a request which the Speaker of parliament has avoidably denied. Parliament must not be restrained by a Speaker whose allegiance is to her party, and not the people of South Africa. The DA will seek to move a motion of no confidence in Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for shielding the executive from scrutiny," Steenhuisen continued.
The DA said Ramaphosa had nothing to show for his promise to fight and end corruption, adding that Ramaphosa is no different from other ANC leaders.
"For all his promises to undo the untold damage inflicted upon our country by his very own party over the last decade, President Ramaphosa has revealed himself to be no different from any other ANC cadre deployed to destroy what’s left of South Africa’s institutions. Nearly five years after the removal of Jacob Zuma from office, and after one of the most comprehensive investigations into rampant and unfettered corruption under ANC-sponsored state capture in the Zondo Report, South Africans are experiencing worrying déjà-vu," he said.