MPs clash over Ramaphosa impeachment hearing

The ANC is facing an uphill battle to con­trol Par­lia­ment’s impeach­ment inquiry into Pres­id­ent Cyril Ram­a­phosa, as oppos­i­tion parties intensify efforts to ensure one of their mem­bers chairs the com­mit­tee that could determ­ine the Pres­id­ent’s polit­ical fate. The Sunday Times has learnt that oppos­i­tion parties spent the week­end locked in nego­ti­ations over who should lead the high-stakes com­mit­tee, arguing the ANC can­not be trus­ted to over­see a pro­cess involving its Pres­id­ent. Their case is strengthened by the fact that the ANC does not com­mand a major­ity on the 31-mem­ber com­mit­tee. The com­mit­tee is expec­ted to meet for the first time today to elect a chair and begin pro­ceed­ings stem­ming from the theft of more than $580 000 at Ram­a­phosa’s Phala Phala game farm in 2020.  Last month, the Constitutional Court ordered the National Assembly to proceed to set up an impeachment committee as a  parliamentary panel headed by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo directed following its probe surrounding Ramaphosa's conduct over the theft. Sources said oppos­i­tion parties were determ­ined to block ANC attempts to install one of its own MPs as chair. The ANC has nine seats, and 22 are spread among oppos­i­tion parties. Com­plic­at­ing mat­ters fur­ther for the ANC, is that its Government of National Unity part­ner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is under­stood to have little appet­ite to chair the com­mit­tee. The ANC is expec­ted to nom­in­ate former deputy chief whip Doris Mpapane, who now chairs Par­lia­ment’s Port­fo­lio Com­mit­tee on the pres­id­ency.

Meanwhile, Mkhonto we Sizwe Party MP and ex-Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s foundation has asked US authorities to go after Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal, reports the Sunday Tribune. The Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane Foundation, which describes itself as an SA justice advocacy organisation, has asked the US Government to investigate the matter based on reasonable grounds to believe violations of the US code have occurred in connection with the transportation, receipt and concealment of a substantial volume of US currency at Ramaphosa’s private game farm. The Ngcobo panel accused Ramaphosa of failing to declare the foreign currency. In March 2023, the SA Revenue Service confirmed the stolen US dollars had not been declared upon entry into SA. Meanwhile, it has emerged Ramaphosa will not seek to interdict the committee commencing with its work, as long as the impeachment inquiry does not start, reports News24. Last week, Ramaphosa lodged an application to the Western Cape High Court, asking it to review, declare unlawful, and set aside the independent panel’s report, as well as any steps taken by the National Assembly pursuant to an independent panel’s report.

Full News24 report

Full Sunday Times report

Full Sunday Tribune report