Cape Town - Parliament will next week consider the DA’s draft resolution for the establishment of an ad hoc committee that will look into all aspects of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farmgate scandal.
The National Assembly programme committee on Thursday heard that a request came from DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube for the scheduling to be on March 22 at the Cape Town City Hall.
“The chief whips forum was informed that this matter will be scheduled for March 28, but there has been a decision that it should rather be scheduled for March 22 next week because the week of March 28 is for committees and oversight,” said parliamentary official A Mbatha.
Gwarube said she had received the report about the change of the date for the consideration of their proposed resolution.
“In our view it is simple that as we are able to consider the matter before we rise. We are in support of the move to have it discussed and decided on in Parliament on March 22,” she said.
The DA made the request for the urgent establishment of the ad hoc committee to get to the truth behind the president’s dollars after the SA Revenue Service (Sars) was unable to find that Sudanese businessman Hazim Mustafa declared the cash he brought into the country in December 2019.
It comes almost six months after the party tabled a similar request that was turned down after a vote.
Gwarube said they submitted the new draft resolution because of new facts that came from Sars around the alleged complicity of the president into tax laws.
“We know that the section 89 committee was completed without the establishment of an impeachment committee.
“Our view is that Parliament has yet to investigate the matter fully,” Gwarube said.
Meanwhile, the EFF’s motion of no confidence against National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will also be considered on the same day at the City Hall.
EFF leader Julius Malema announced the tabling of the motion during the debate on the State of the Nation Address.
The motion emanated from Mapisa-Nqakula’s handling of the ejection of the EFF MPs when security services stormed the Cape Town City Hall Chamber after they climbed on the stage, where President Cyril Ramaphosa was seated when the address was disrupted.
On Thursday, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli said the voting method on the motion of no confidence and the draft resolution ad hoc committee on Phala Phala will be an open vote, meaning a show of hands.
“It will be announced as such when it gets to the table,” Tsenoli said.
Cape Times