SIYABONGA SITHOLE
Seven opposition parties represented in Parliament have agreed on the list of names who will form part of the section 89 independent panel.
This comes after political parties including the EFF, ACDP, IFP, ATM, DA and NFP held a joint press briefing in Houghton on Wednesday as part of their collective effort to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa accountable for the Phala Phala farm scandal.
The parties have nominated former judges, Bernard Ngoepe, Dikgang Moseneke, Yvonne Mokgoro, Mogoeng Mogoeng as the most suitable candidates to take up the section 89 independent panel.
The parties also agreed that on September 9 they will be marching to the Office of the Public Protector in a bid to force advocate Kholeka Gcaleka to release the sealed report on Phala Phala farm.
The parties also agreed to table a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa as well as the establishment of an ad hoc committee and the need to force the Speaker of Parliament to allow for the secret ballot when they finally table their motion of no confidence.
Furthermore, Malema said that all the parties have agreed to collectively and individually engage civil society, trade unions, faith-based organisations and other structures in a bid to intensify their collective and individual attempts to oust Ramaphosa for the series of transgressions and violations that happened during the Phala Phala farm robbery.
"We as opposition parties will intensify our collective and individual court actions against the speaker and other institutions who want to suppress Parliament and constitutional obligations to hold the executive accountable," Malema said.
Leader of UDM, General Bantu Holomisa, said there should be no delay in appointing the panel as they have forwarded the names of their preferred candidates.
"I would appeal to the media to watch this process from now on because we have been given until the beginning of September to submit names. We hope that the speaker will speed up the process. We do not expect her to apply delaying tactics and appoint this independent panel in January, " Holomisa said.
Wayne Thring of the ACDP said Ramaphosa has a case to answer and must be held accountable, adding that even the president was not above the laws of this country.
"No one is above the law. That also includes the president. We do not want, under our watch, as opposition political parties to be accused of not holding the executive including the president accountable," Thring said.
The parties also accused the police, the National Prosecuting Authority, SA Revenue Services, the Reserve Bank, the Hawks and the Financial Intelligence Centre of protecting Ramaphosa.
"We as the opposition political parties are concerned that it has been more than 70 days since the Phala Phala farm violations were reported to the police and all other responsible institutions who have deliberately ignored the Parliamentary questions and are seemingly involved in the cover up and shielding the sitting president,“ Malema said.