Ramaphosa insists Phala Phala ‘posturing’ will not distract him from reforms agenda

President Cyril Ramaphosa will remain steadfast on economic and governance reforms and will “not be sidetracked by political theatre or electoral posturing”.

Ramaphosa delivered this message to the National Assembly on Wednesday as he closed the debate on the presidency budget vote.

MPs from opposition parties such as the MK Party and the EFF launched blistering attacks on Tuesday, calling on him to resign over the Phala Phala scandal.

Parliament on Monday elected Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana to lead the impeachment committee on a section 89 inquiry into the alleged theft of hundreds of thousands in US dollars at his Phala Phala farm in 2020.

The subcommittee on rules was scheduled to meet this afternoon (June 4) to finalise the rules and procedures that would govern operations of the impeachment committee.

Several opposition parties also slammed Ramaphosa on Tuesday for sending the section 89 panel report on judicial review and for threatening to interdict impeachment proceedings against him pending his review application outcome.

But in his reply to the Tuesday debate, Ramaphosa said he would hold the line in pursuit of his reform agenda, and nothing would make him lose focus.

“We should state that this Presidency is resolutely focused on the task of growing an inclusive economy and creating jobs.

“We are not distracted by the clamour of some political parties for attention. We are not distracted by political theatre or electoral posturing,” said Ramaphosa.

“We will not be sidetracked by narrow agendas that have nothing to do with the needs, interests and concerns of the people of South Africa.

“As an institution and as the people who lead it, we are focused on the work that must be done to move with greater urgency and purpose to transform our economy.

“This determination is shared across government. It is shared by most members of this House and certainly by the people of this country.”

Ramaphosa also undertook to respect “the work and authority” of parliament in holding him accountable while also pledging to abide by court rulings in this regard.

We will not allow anything to slow the momentum of growth and transformation that, with each passing day, is gaining more and more pace.

—  Cyril Ramaphosa

“Reference was made by a number of speakers to the section 89 process that parliament has embarked upon following the Constitutional Court judgment.

“My approach to this matter is guided, as it has always been, by the supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law,” he said.

“The institutions of our democracy must be allowed to perform their work without interference and without intimidation.

“I will continue to uphold the principles and safeguard the integrity of my office. I will respect the work and authority of parliament and abide by the rulings of our courts.

“We will not allow anything to slow the momentum of growth and transformation that, with each passing day, is gaining more and more pace.”

Illustrating how his reform agenda was yielding results, Ramaphosa cited more than 365 consecutive days of no load-shedding, the turnaround of logistics utility Transnet and the work of the Madlanga and Zondo commissions.

“Work has begun in earnest to recover as much of the stolen funds as possible.

“As I reported yesterday [Tuesday], recoveries by law enforcement linked to the work of the [state capture] commission now stand at over R17bn.

“As a result of presidential proclamations, the SIU has recovered R1.3bn in cash and assets in the past financial year alone.

“A number of honourable members correctly pointed out that corruption weakens the capacity of the state, undermines public trust and diverts resources away from the needs of our people.

“The fight against corruption is therefore not simply a governance issue. It is a development issue, a service delivery issue and a moral imperative.

“Beyond the recovery of stolen funds and the prosecution of wrongdoing, we are working to build institutions that are transparent, accountable and resilient against future abuse.

“We are working hard to strengthen consequence management, improve procurement oversight and promote ethical leadership across the public sector.”