Phala Phala takes centre stage in parliament next week

President Cyril Ramaphosa is headed for a showdown next week when MPs will grill him about the robbery at his Phala Phala game farm, while a panel is being convened to consider a parliamentary inquiry into his fitness to hold office in the wake of the incident.

MPs had tried to push him on the matter during the presidency budget vote in June but to no avail. The incident came to light when former correctional services boss Arthur Fraser laid a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa, alleging he had covered up the theft of a large amount of cash at the farm in Limpopo in 2020.

African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula subsequently submitted a motion to Speaker Noviso Mapisa-Nqakula requesting the house to initiate an inquiry into Ramaphosa’s possible removal from office as provided for by section 89 of the constitution.

Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed during a meeting of the assembly’s programming committee on Thursday that an independent panel was being established to consider evidence that could lead to a full-blown parliamentary inquiry into the matter.

Political parties have until Thursday to submit nominees for the three-member panel to be appointed by Mapisa-Nqakula. The panel will conduct a preliminary assessment and recommend to her within 30 days whether there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing by Ramaphosa as specified in the motion.  

The ATM contends he had violated the constitution, which prohibits members of the cabinet and deputy ministers from “undertaking any other paid work”, among other infractions. It also alleged Ramaphosa had failed to report the robbery to the police as required by law.

Among the questions he will face on Tuesday are two from Zungula:

• whether, notwithstanding the ongoing investigations by the Hawks and the acting public protector, Ramaphosa has considered it prudent to take the nation into his confidence on the serious allegations surrounding his Phala Phala farm by accounting to the people of SA and speaking on the specified issue in the National Assembly, where the elected representatives of the people can engage him on the scandal that has divided the country and caused immeasurable harm to the reputation of the republic; and
• whether with the benefit of hindsight he has found that he could have responded differently to the serious allegations surrounding him with regard to the saga concerning his Phala Phala farm

Parliament’s joint standing committee on intelligence is also probing specific allegations about the Phala Phala matter, including whether deputy state security minister Zizi Kodwa, knew about the robbery and opted to keep the matter secret rather than reporting it to the appropriate authorities.

It has also been alleged that Kodwa accompanied Maj-Gen Wally Rhoode, the head of the presidential protection unit, during secret interactions between the SA and Namibian authorities.

There have also been reports that a secret crime intelligence fund was used to finance the undercover operations to track down the suspects and recover the money.  

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