By: Natasha Archary
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s legal woes continues, after the Constitutional Court dismissed his attempt to seek direct access to challenge the Section 89 Phala Phala report findings.
The ConCourt’s decision entails that the President will have to approach the high court to challenge the report’s adverse findings against him.
Ramaphosa was hoping the ConCourt would say that the panel that was appointed to investigate, had overstepped its terms of reference and that the evidence was not binding and therefore he does not have a case to answer to.
Speaking to Dr. Sithembile Mbete, a lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria, Sizwe Dhlomo explored what the dismissal of the report means for Ramaphosa going forward.
Now, the EFF and the DA are calling for an ad hoc committee to further probe the Phala Phala scandal.
However, the Presidency doesn’t believe the judgement is a blow to Ramaphosa’s re-election campaign.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the President’s legal team would weigh its options.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, 01 March, Magwenya shared, “It’s a procedural matter with respect to the President seeking direct access to the Constitutional Court. The judgement does not pronounce on the merits of the case.”
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya
Dr Sithembile Mbete explains the ANC’s step aside rule as follows:
“The way in which the step aside rule has been used is, if somebody is charged by the NPA or is facing criminal charges, then they would need to step aside.
There have been no charges against Ramaphosa in relation to Phala Phala from the NPA, and so there was no need for the President to step aside.
Further investigations by SARS and the HAWKS are still underway to deterrmine the amount of money that was stolen, where the money actually came from and whether Ramaphosa is answerable to this.”
Dr Sithembile Mbete, lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Drive:
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