Phala Phala Inquiry: ATM’s Vuyo Zungula Accuses Ramaphosa of Trying to Evade Accountability

• The African Transformation Movement criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa's urgent court bid to halt the impeachment process
• The Western Cape High Court is currently hearing the president's application, with Parliament's impeachment committee fighting against it
• ATM president Vuyo Zungula said the timing of the legal challenge raised serious questions about the president's true intentions

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG - The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has come out strongly against President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to approach the courts to block a parliamentary inquiry into the Phala Phala farm scandal.

The Western Cape High Court is currently hearing Ramaphosa's urgent application, in which he seeks to halt Parliament's Section 89 impeachment process. The process relates to findings stemming from the Phala Phala scandal, which has cast a long shadow over his presidency.

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ATM questions the timing

Speaking about the decision, ATM president Vuyo Zungula said the timing of Ramaphosa's court bid was deeply suspect, particularly given that Parliament is actively moving to scrutinise the Phala Phala findings.

Zungula argued that approaching the courts at this stage amounts to a deliberate effort to evade the accountability mechanisms that South Africa's constitutional framework is designed to uphold.

The Phala Phala scandal centres on allegations that large sums of foreign currency were hidden at Ramaphosa's game farm in Limpopo and that the matter was concealed from law enforcement. The controversy has fuelled calls from opposition parties for a formal parliamentary investigation into the president's conduct.

Other stories about the ConCourt ruling

Briefly News has covered several articles about the aftermath of the ConCourt's ruling regarding Phala Phala, as several politicians weighed in on the judgment.

• Julius Malema welcomed the ConCourt’s ruling and suggested that Ramaphosa resign before he was impeached.
• Mahlengi Bhengu said that the African National Congress was committed to the rule of law following the ruling.
• The Democratic Alliance said that the president must be held accountable after the ConCourt’s decision.
• Gayton McKenzie insisted that the Patriotic Alliance would not vote to impeach President Ramaphosa.
• Herman Mashaba called the Phala Phala saga a serious embarrassment to the nation.

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ANC backs Cyril Ramaphosa over Phala Phala decision

In another article, the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) met to discuss the Constitutional Court's recent ruling on Phala Phala.

Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa was not present at the meeting, as he was the subject of the discussions that were taking place.

South Africans took to social media to share mixed reactions to the NEC's resolution that the party stood behind the president's decision.

Source: Briefly News