President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will not resign over the Phala Phala matter, rejecting the independent panel’s findings as flawed and vowing to challenge the report in court.
In a national address on Monday evening, Ramaphosa defended his conduct and dismissed growing calls for his resignation, insisting no evidence has been presented to prove that he committed any wrongdoing.
His remarks follow last week’s Constitutional Court of South Africa ruling in a case brought by the EFF, which challenged the National Assembly’s 2022 decision not to proceed with impeachment proceedings against him under Section 89 of the Constitution.
The court ruled that Parliament acted unlawfully when it halted the impeachment process and ordered that the findings of an independent parliamentary panel, which found there may be a prima facie case for Ramaphosa to answer, must now be reconsidered by Parliament’s impeachment committee.
The matter stems from allegations linked to the theft of foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo, which prompted questions over the source of the money and whether the President may have violated the Constitution or his oath of office.
Opposition parties have repeatedly argued that the matter warrants impeachment and have renewed calls for him to step down.
However, Ramaphosa maintains that the panel’s findings are legally and factually unsound.
“No evidence, let alone sufficient evidence, has been presented to prove that I committed any violation, let alone a serious violation of the Constitution or the law or serious misconduct as set out in the Constitution,” he said.
Ramaphosa said he had disagreed with the panel’s conclusions from the outset and believes its reasoning was flawed.
“I disagreed with its findings and the process of reasoning that led to those findings,” he said, adding that the complaints against him were based on “hearsay allegations.”
Following the Constitutional Court’s judgment, Ramaphosa confirmed that he will now move to challenge the report through judicial review.
“I have therefore decided to proceed to take the independent panel’s report on review on an expeditious basis,” he said.
According to the Ramaphosa, his legal team believes the report can be challenged on several grounds, including what he described as “grave errors of law and unfounded conclusions of fact.”
He also stressed that his legal action is not intended to undermine Parliament, but rather to ensure that any impeachment process is based on legally sound findings.
“I do so not out of disrespect for Parliament or its processes, but to affirm the need for such findings to be correct in law and in fact, especially where Parliament’s work would be based on and informed by a report I believe is flawed,” he said.
Addressing calls for his resignation directly, Ramaphosa said the Constitutional Court judgment does not compel him to vacate office.
“I therefore respectfully want to make it clear that I will not resign,” he said.
He argued that stepping down now would amount to validating a flawed report and abandoning the responsibility entrusted to him as president.
“To do so would be to give credence to a panel report that unfortunately has grave flaws,” he said.
Despite mounting political pressure, Ramaphosa said he remains committed to serving the country.
“I fully intend to continue serving the people of South Africa and to advance their interests. There is still so much to be done.”
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za
Saturday Star