Johannesburg - There was a chorus of “noes” that ran throughout the parliamentary benches of the ANC during the National Assembly’s vote on the section 89 panel report on the impeachment of President Cyril Ramaphosa which included, besides sitting Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, a trio of male MPs, namely Supra Mahumapelo, Mervyn Dirks, and Mosebenzi Zwane, who voted “yes”.
The National Assembly was filled with high drama yesterday when the much-debated and controversial report from an independent panel found that Ramaphosa had a case to answer over the Phala Phala farmgate.
Mahumapelo, speaking to the media before the vote, said that sometimes to win over the confidence of the masses, you have to sacrifice as a leader for a bigger cause.
“Last week I have said that I have a conviction to pursue what the African National Congress stands for and what the ANC is about, and all of us should be doing that, so I still remain on that particular position,” said Mahumapelo.
He said that the leadership of the ANC at the senior level must sit down and help Ramaphosa exit, which was beyond yesterday’s voting.
“That is a much bigger issue, because what it means is that if we go into elections with this matter as the African National Congress, there is no way the opposition will not use it, and there is no way it would not resonate with people on the ground,” he said.
Earlier this year, Dirks wrote to the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) to ask it to bring Ramaphosa before it to answer questions on state funds used for campaigning.
Yesterday, a majority of members of Parliament (214) voted for the report to be rejected and for Parliament not to proceed with the process.
The vote follows a report by the section 89 independent panel, led by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, which found that the president may have violated section 96(2)(a) of the Constitution and section 34(1) of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities (PRECCA) Act in relation to a robbery at his Phala Phala game farm in 2020.
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula announced the results, saying that those who voted yes received 148 votes, those who voted no received 214 votes, and those who abstained received two votes. “As a result, the section 89(1) inquiry will not be pursued,” she said.
Before the vote and the debate proceeded, a request was made by some members of Parliament to hold the vote via a secret ballot.
“I have considered the request for a vote by secret ballot and have communicated my decisions and the reasons for my decision in this regard.
“It is sufficient to reiterate that a parliamentary environment is always a highly politicised space and can never be entirely free of political tensions, either between or even within parties.
“I do not believe that the atmosphere is so toxified or so highly charged that members of the assembly would be prevented from exercising their vote on this question in accordance with their consciences using an open voting procedure,” Mapisa-Nqakula said.
The Star