DA calls for Phala Phala saga closure
‘Matter can’t be delayed further’
The DA has called for parliament to extend its programme to deal with the Phala Phala report instead of rising on December 1 as planned, says party parliamentary chief whip Siviwe Gwaribe.
“During the National Programming Committee tomorrow, the DA will make the case that parliament’s programme now needs to be extended to deal with this report. The panel is due to report to the speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, on the 30th of November while parliament was meant to rise on the 1st of December.
“The matter cannot be delayed or deferred to next year. It is urgent,” Gwaribe said.
“No sitting president should have a question of whether or not he broke the law and by extension his oath of office hanging over this head.
“In addition, the National Assembly rules pertaining to section 89 of the Constitution compel the speaker to table the report before the House as a matter of urgency.
“It only makes sense that this must be done in the first week of December.”
The DA said it would lobby other parties to support the motion that parliament continue after December 1.
“Our interest is only in upholding our constitutional obligation of holding the executive to account. We will continue to do so.”
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba also rejected the extension.
“Ramaphosa has a serious case to answer for and parliament’s work must be carried out without consideration of the upcoming elective conference, which we suspect might have informed this delay in large part.
“Parliament must be careful not to make itself complicit in the ANC internal factional battles ahead of the elective conference next month and do its work to uphold the constitution.”
Mashaba added that Ramaphosa being embroiled in the Phala Phala was “testimony to how
lawless South Africa has become when at the very top the rule of law is disobeyed”.