SIYABONGA SITHOLE
The DA has said it refuses to be part of the motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa although it agreed in principle with some of the proposals to hold Ramaphosa accountable.
This comes after some of the opposition parties represented in Parliament joined hands to hold the president accountable for the Phala Phala farm scandal through parliamentary and court processes. On Wednesday, the EFF, ACDP, IFP, ATM and other parties conducted a media briefing aimed at spelling out a series of actions to ensure Ramaphosa is finally toppled.
The DA said it has made a decision not to support the other parties in their bid to table a motion of no confidence in Ramaphosa.
“It remains our view – as previously argued in meetings with the opposition parties that the Section 89 inquiry process, which has been initiated by ATM, should be given the requisite time and runway to be properly exhausted in Parliament,” said DA spokesperson Siviwe Gwarube.
Gwarube said the current Section 89 inquiry was a historical moment for Parliament as opposition parties were now engaged in forwarding names that should be considered for the independent panel.
At the media briefing on Wednesday, the opposition parties nominated retired Judges Yvonne Mokgoro, Dikgang Moseneke, Mogoeng Mogoeng and Bernard Ngoepe as their preferred candidates for the independent panel.
“This is a historical moment in the National Assembly where Parliament has through the newly adopted rules, given effect to the spirit and prescripts on Section 89 of the Constitution. Parties are now engaged with nominating candidates for the independent panel that will ascertain the veracity of these allegations against President Cyril Ramaphosa. We will be following this process closely,” he said.
Gwarube said the DA believed that tabling a motion of no confidence at the same time as the Section 89 inquiry would undermine the results and objectives of the party to finally hold Ramaphosa and the executive accountable.
“We are of the opinion that to fully give effect and not lose the public in the process, we ought to pursue the grave allegations around Phala Phala farm vigorously. To that end, we will continue exploring our options – legal and parliamentary – on the issue of establishing an ad hoc committee in Parliament. This is important because it is the only way we can ascertain the facts around what appears to be a cover-up by the president and those connected to him in this matter,” he said.