What to expect from the Phala Phala panel report

The independent panel of experts tasked to determine whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer regarding the Phala Phala farm scandal is expected to hand over their report to Parliament on Wednesday.

ATM President Vuyo Zungula with Mzwanele Manyi and the party legal adviser Malisela Teffo addressing the media after giving a sworn statement at the Ipid headquarters in Arcadia. File Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Nov 27, 2022

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Durban - The independent panel of experts tasked with determining whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer regarding the Phala Phala farm scandal is expected to hand over its report to Parliament on Wednesday.

The panel was formed after the ATM submitted a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa.

The move came after former spy boss Arthur Fraser laid a criminal charge against Ramaphosa and former head of the Presidential Protection Unit, Wally Rhoode, for allegedly kidnapping and torturing five men and a woman to reveal where they had hidden millions in foreign currency stolen from the president’s farm.

The country’s main opposition will be among those eagerly awaiting Ramaphosa’s response on a number of issues raised before and after the theft at the farm.

This is what they want to know:

  • Will Parliament hold Ramaphosa accountable for the violation of laws, in terms of what happened at Phala Phala, which implicate him.
  • Opposition parties will consult with civil society organisations, non-profit organisations, trade unions and religious bodies to consolidate a common approach and response to holding the executive and the president accountable.
  • They want the acting public protector as a matter of urgency, and as required by law, to release the report on the Phala Phala investigations.
  • Opposition parties will, depending on the outcome of the panel report, request a meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly to discuss all accountability issues including the usage of a secret ballot for motions of no confidence.

The opposition parties include the ATM, DA, EFF, IFP, NFP, UDM and ACDP.