Phala Phala Farm Scandal: Opposition Parties Apply for a Motion of No Confidence in President Ramaphosa

• The heat on President Cyril Ramaphosa is intensifying as multiple parties gun to get him out of office
• EFF leader Julius Malema said that all political parties, save for the DA, will apply to Parliament for a motion of no confidence against the president
• President Ramaphosa will also be subject to a Section 89 inquiry, which will determine if Ramaphosa will be removed from office

CAPE TOWN - Several political parties have come together to hold meetings over the past couple of weeks to determine how they can hold President Cyril Ramaphosa accountable for the Phala Phala farm scandal.

The parties have decided to file a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa in Parliament.

News24 reported that the political parties include the EFF, UDM, ATM and Cope. The DA was initially a part of the cohort, but removed itself from the motion of no confidence, stating that the party felt it was not the best route to take while also pursuing an ad hoc committee to be appointed.

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In the press briefing on Wednesday, 17 August, EFF leader Julius Malema confirmed that all parties except for the DA will bring a motion of no confidence forward in Parliament. Malema also revealed that the parties would like the vote on the motion to be held in secret.

Malema said:

“The DA did not necessarily say they don’t agree with the motion of no confidence. They are saying, we need to give Section 89 a chance to complete its process, and only then we can be able to put a motion of no confidence.”

Section 89 inquiry into Phala Phala Farm Scandal

The Citizen reported that the bid to remove President Cyril Ramaphosa from office intensified when National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula accepted the request for a Section 86 inquiry against the president.

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Section 89 of the Constitution allows an independent panel to decide if the president will undergo a process that may lead to his dismissal.

The panel will consist of three competent and experienced South Africans and may include a judge. Malema added that if the motion of no confidence is successful, it will have no bearing on the Section 89 inquiry.

South African react to the motion of no confidence

South Africans don't have much hope that the motion of no confidence will succeed.

Here are some comments:

@BbwMaturity said:

"Well combined they don’t have enough votes unless some ANC MPs go rogue."

@Seismic20220222 commented:

"The DA wasn’t invited to the tea party in Nkandla. So they will not support such a motion."

@thapelobhila tweeted:

"Motion will lose as usual."

@Desmond32380305 said:

"It will be defeated. Zuma era has taught us that."

Farmgate: Ramaphosa must be held accountable for Phala Phala scandal, analysts warn Parliament

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In a related matter, Briefly News reported that Political analysts say that Parliament must hold President Cyril Ramaphosa accountable for the Phala Phala farm theft debacle.

Various opposition parties have banded together to escalate the efforts and hold the president and his executive responsible for not reporting the robbery on his Limpopo farm.

The parties to unanimously come to this decision are the DA, EFF, IFP, ATM, UDM, ACDP and NFP. These seven opposition parties held a meeting on Wednesday, 17 August, where they agreed that it was unacceptable that president Ramaphosa’s responses to the acting public protector were concealed and, as such, the concealment must be challenged.

Source: Briefly News