Ramaphosa cancels NCOP question session at last minute to study Phala Phala report

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has cancelled its question-and-answer session with President Cyril Ramaphosa scheduled for Thursday.

NCOP chief whip Seiso Mohai informed delegates the council received a request from Ramaphosa to defer the session to give him time to process the report of the Section 89 committee on the Phala Phala saga.

“As you may be aware, the Section 89 independent panel process has been unprecedented in the life of our constitutional democracy,” said Mohai.

“The recommendations of the independent panel and the implications thereof for the stability of the country require President Ramaphosa to take the time to carefully consider the contents of the report and the next course of action to be taken,” he said.

Two NCOP sources told TimesLIVE Ramaphosa had been expected to attend the session in person. But “a message came through around 5am that the president won’t be able to come to Cape Town today,” said one source.

Ramaphosa was going to face questions on load-shedding, rural development and the development of township economies.

The session would also have been his last question session in parliament for the year.

On Wednesday, a panel of legal experts, headed by retired chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, found that Ramaphosa may have committed a serious violation of the law and serious misconduct in terms of the constitution. 

This related to his failure to report a burglary at his Phala Phala farm two years ago and on undertaking paid work while a member of the cabinet.

TimesLIVE