Phala Phala report to be discussed on December 6

THE National Assembly has resolved that a hybrid plenary will sit on December 6 to discuss the report of the three-member panel investigating whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer in the Phala Phala fallout.

The Section 89 panel’s report, after probing prima facie evidence on Ramaphosa’s part on Phala Phala, was due yesterday but National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, at the panel’s request, extended the date to November 30.

The programming committee yesterday resolved that the House, which was supposed to rise on December 1, would extend its days of Parliament business to deal with the Section 89 panel’s report into Phala Phala and the controversial Electoral Amendment Bill.

The plenary will now sit nine days before the ANC elective conference in Nasrec – and the EFF and Ramaphosa’s detractors will be hoping that the outcome of the report will have a bearing on the president’s fate.

Mapisa-Nqakula had come under fire from opposition parties who criticised her in the media for the decision to extend the panel’s deadline to November 30.

MPs were eager to debate the extension yesterday, but Mapisa-Nqakula said she had asked the National Assembly programming committee chief whip, ANC MP Regina Mina Lesoma, to present a report.

Mapisa-Nqakula appeared before the chief whip’s forum on Wednesday, at which she presented a full report about the circumstances that led to the extension being granted.

Lesoma proposed the December 6 extension, which was welcomed by opposition parties.

DA MP chief whip Siviwe Gwarube welcomed the proposal to consider the two reports on December 6 as it was important that the matters, particularly the Section 89 report, were wrapped up before Parliament rose.

National Assembly secretary Masibulele Xaso said the Section 89 report would be made public before Parliament discussed it.

The EFF issued a statement welcoming the resolution to have the sitting on December 6.