President Cyril Ramaphosa Answers MPs' Questions at the National Assembly
- President Cyril Ramaphosa was in the hotseat on Friday when he had to answer various questions from Members of Parliament
- MPs covered a range of topics such as unemployment, the coronavirus vaccine programme and the Marikana massacre
- Ramaphosa also had to come to the defence of his second-in-command Deputy President David Mabuza
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JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared at the National Assembly virtually to answer the various burning questions opposition party Members of Parliament had for the president on Friday.
Various topics such as the high unemployment rate, the Marikana massacre, the unrest as well as the murders that took place in Phoenix during the violent protests in KwaZulu-Natal almost two months ago.
Source: Twitter
Ramaphosa was also asked questions in regard to South Africa's Covid-19 vaccination programme and its progress. According to eNCA, Ramaphosa also answered questions that came from members of the ANC.
Briefly News compiled some of the main highlights from the National Assembly:
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Ramaphosa says vaccination is not mandatory
Ramaphosa reassured members of Parliament that getting the Covid-19 vaccine is not compulsory and cannot be mandatory based on the country's Constitution.
He stated that rather than companies deciding to implement policies that mandate vaccinations they should find other ways to protect their employees. He suggested that they could allow employees who choose not to get vaccinated to work from home, according to News24.
Ramaphosa defends Deputy President David Mabuza
Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen asked Ramaphosa to clarify whether or not state funds were used to pay for Deputy President David Mabuza's stay in Russia for medical treatments, according to BusinessLIVE.
Ramaphosa was not pleased with the tone Steenhuisen used to speak about Mabuza's health and his absence from office. Ramaphosa explained that Mabuza was off ill health and that is why he had been absent for a while.
After Steenhuisen suggested that the deputy president had no faith in South Africa's healthcare system, Ramaphosa explained that Mabuza had every right to seek medical where ever he felt comfortable.
"Where he gets his treatment, in the end, is a personal choice‚ just as anyone would choose which doctor should provide treatment,” said Ramaphosa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says laws need to tighten to protect whistleblowers
Briefly News previously reported following the murder of Babita Deokaran, President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa needs to tighten laws to ensure that whistleblowers are protected.
In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa stated it was clear that since the State Capture Commission of Inquiry, the fight against corruption has intensified and as a result, South African laws and policies needed to be improved to protect individuals who stand up to corruption, according to TimesLIVE.
Deokaran, a Gauteng Health Department finance official, was tragically murdered in her driveway after exposing PPE corruption in the department. She was set to testify against top officials implicated in the tender procurement scandal and was the Special Investigating Unit's main witness.
Ramaphosa praised Deokaran's actions and stated that her bravery to stand up to corruption shows a commitment to uphold South Africa's democracy. He went on to say that South Africa can not let whistleblowers like Deokaran down.
Source: Briefly News
