The National Assembly abandoned its question session without president Cyril Ramaphosa answering MPs’ questions about his handling of the robbery at his Phala Phala farm.
Instead speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has tasked political party chief whips with finding a solution on what should happen to the unanswered questions and when should Ramaphosa return to parliament to answer them.
The only other time the National Assembly abandoned a question session with outstanding questions was in August 2014, when EFF MPs chanted “pay back the money” to then-president Jacob Zuma who was evasive on questions about improvements at his Nkandla homestead.
Things fell apart on Tuesday when the president told MPs that as much as he wanted to explain what happened at Phala Phala, he had received legal advice not to talk about it.
Ramaphosa said he had given answers to a variety of agencies investigating the matter, and that he would do the same to parliament at the conclusion of those investigations. “I’ve been counselled and advised that it is best to address this matter when those processes have been done and I’d like to say I stand ready to, as people have said, take the nation into its confidence,” he said.
I stand ready to do so, to give an explanation. But for me it’s been important that I stand back and allow the various agencies to deal with this matter as thoroughly as I believe they are doing.
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
“I stand ready to do so, to give an explanation. But for me it’s been important that I stand back and allow the various agencies to deal with this matter as thoroughly as I believe they are doing,” he said.
He said he would also co-operate with the Section 89 process which parliament will undertake over the next few weeks.
Opposition MPs rejected his explanation.
They demanded that Ramaphosa explained and argued that he had failed to provide a legally sound reason for not answering questions.
“This issue is not sub judice, it’s not before a court of law. There is no law that permits him to avoid these questions,” said EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu.
“Who is he accountable to if he can’t be accountable in this house?” he asked.
This sentiment was shared by Shivambu’s boss Julius Malema who said it was odd for Ramaphosa to give answers to agencies investigating the matter, but refuse to do so in parliament to which he accounts.
After almost two hours of toing and froing between Mapisa-Nqakula and opposition MPs and ANC MPs who sought to defend Ramaphosa, the session was adjourned.
“The manner in which the outstanding questions are dealt with, will be for the programming committee to decide after consultation with the chief whips’ forum,” said Mapisa-Nqakula.
Chief whips are scheduled to meet on Wednesday.
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