Durban - The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it hopes that the ANC will cooperate when the pending matter of impeaching the country’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, goes to parliament.
On Wednesday evening, the party joined many other opposition parties in commenting on the findings of the Judge Sandile Ngcobo-led panel that Ramaphosa may have violated several sections of the Constitution in the Phala Phala matter.
The matter was first brought to the public fore by former spy boss Arthur Fraser when he opened a case with the police and provided plenty of evidence.
The reluctant parliament, which is mainly dominated by the governing ANC, was then forced to act.
#PhalaPhalareport - The DA says the findings against President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Phala Phala matter "is a defining moment for our constitutional democracy and must not be taken lightly." It added that "These are grounds for impeachment proceedings in Parliament." @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) November 30, 2022
Among the parties that piled pressure on parliament to act were the ATM (African Transformation Movement), the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) and the UDM (United Democratic Movement).
On Wednesday evening, the findings of the panel of three people were made public, and Ramaphosa and his supporters were forced to adopt a defensive stance.
It was then that the DA said that it had noted the report and its focus was the next step - impeaching Ramaphosa for allegedly violating the Constitution.
The DA has noted the findings of the independent panel established in terms of the National Assembly rules, giving effect to Section 89 of the Constitution.
This is a defining moment for our constitutional democracy and must not be taken lightly.
The panel made some serious findings against the president, chief among them being that he may have violated the Constitution.
These are grounds for impeachment proceedings in Parliament. This is exactly why our focus must now be on the Parliamentary process.
While a vote on whether to institute impeachment proceedings against the president requires a 50% majority, we do hope that the ANC in Parliament will put party interests aside and abide by the constitutional obligation we all have.
“The DA will study the report, and the DA leader will make an announcement on steps to be taken going forward tomorrow,” Siviwe Gwarube, the Chief Whip of the DA in Parliament, said in a brief statement.
Meanwhile, the NFP (National Freedom Party) says Ramaphosa must resign following the findings against him in the Phala Phala matter.
The party says it would be "foolish" for embattled Ramaphosa to dig in and delay what it called the inevitable.
“He should resign amid all the revelations.
“It would be very naive and, in fact, foolish of him to wait for the Parliamentary impeachment processes to conclude because he will never survive, no matter how he prolongs the inevitable.
“It's a massive indictment to the President. He has been found to have lied.
“President Ramaphosa has betrayed the trust the people of South Africa had in him. He has betrayed his political party and should be ashamed of himself.
#PhalaPhalareport - The NFP (National Freedom Party) says President Cyril Ramaphosa must resign following the findings against him in the Phala Phala matter. The party says it would be "foolish" for embattled Ramaphosa to dig in and delay what it called the inevitable. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) November 30, 2022
“When he took oath of office, he swore to protect the country and its sovereignty. Yet, it is crystal clear that he was lying to us, the continent and the world.
“The NFP implores President Ramaphosa to consider resigning as a matter of urgency,” the party’s secretary-general, Canaan Mdletshe, said in a statement.
IOL