The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has accused the Speaker of parliament of protecting President Cyril Ramaphosa, as she declined the party’s notion of no confidence regarding the Phala Phala scandal.
The party said it believes parliamentary Speaker Thoko Didiza actively protects the president and has not learned from the mistakes of her predecessor, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
Speaker declines ATM no-confidence motion over Phala Phala
ATM made this statement after Didiza rejected its notice of a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa.
“I am declining this submission, as the grounds contained in the motion are the subject matter the Assembly is already seized with, as directed in the judgment of the Constitutional Court (ConCourt),” she wrote in a letter to the party.
ATM sent the Speaker the letter, attaching a notice of a motion of no confidence in the president, two days after the ConCourt sent the Section 89 panel’s report on the Phala Phala scandal back to parliament.
The apex court ordered the National Assembly to refer the matter to the impeachment committee for further inquiry, paving the way for an impeachment process to proceed.
Following this, Ramaphosa decided to approach the courts and review the Section 89 panel’s report.
Impeachment process already underway
“This process is currently underway, and in accordance with Rule 90, the discussion of the matter and related issues should not be anticipated, albeit introduced through another mechanism,” Didiza said to ATM.
The 16 political parties represented in the National Assembly will make up the committee’s 31 members, allocated as follows: ANC (9); DA (5); MKP (3); EFF (2); IFP (1); PA (1); FF Plus (1); ActionSA (1); ACDP (1); UDM (1); Rise Mzansi (1); BOSA (1); ATM (1); Al-Jama-ah (1); NCC (1); UAT (1).
The Speaker has also referred the Constitutional Court judgment to the National Assembly Subcommittee on the Review of Rules to consider and process the amendments required to the rules of the National Assembly.
There were many calls from political parties urging the president to resign following the ConCourt’s judgment; however, Ramaphosa is adamant on not stepping down.
He said he would proceed with his initial plan from 2022 to review the independent panel’s report expeditiously.
EFF and MK walked out of Q&A
Ramaphosa said nothing in the judgment compels him to resign, as the apex court made no finding regarding his alleged conduct.
Last week, members of the EFF and MK party walked out of the president’s question-and-answer session in parliament, challenging the legitimacy of the proceedings in light of ongoing impeachment processes.
“You are out of order! You are doing what they did in 2022. You are protecting a constitutional delinquent, someone who could be a criminal!” the MK party’s Visvin Reddy yelled.
EFF and MK party members then exited the chamber while singing.
