MK Party MP Andile Mngxitama said President Cyril Ramaphosa still owes the nation an explanation of how US dollars entered the country.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
President Cyril Ramaphosa still needs to explain whether the US dollars found at his Phala Phala farm entered the country through OR Tambo International Airport or by crossing the Limpopo River on the back of a crocodile; this is according to MK Party MP Andile Mngxitama.
Ramaphosa delivered his budget vote speech on Tuesday afternoon amid heightened political tensions, including a pending Section 89 impeachment inquiry.
The inquiry is expected to feature prominently in parliamentary debates.
Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana has been elected chairperson of Parliament's Phala Phala impeachment committee.
The commission will examine issues related to the theft of $580,000 allegedly hidden in a sofa at Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
Addressing the President, Mngxitama said: "Mr Ramaphosa, you can no longer hide behind the courts instead of serving the people. You can do the simple thing by resigning. You are hiding behind the law while being a constitutional delinquent."
He further alleged that Ramaphosa occupied his position because of financial backing from what he described as the "Stellenbosch mafia".
"The same funders who gave you one billion rand are also the funders of the chairperson of the impeachment committee. This whole thing is being rigged. But we are here, we are watching and we won't allow the Stellenbosch mafia agenda to succeed," he said.
Mngxitama also claimed that the judiciary had protected Ramaphosa from scrutiny, saying the courts could no longer shield him from public accountability.
ANC MP Kenny Morolong raised a point of order, asking whether it was parliamentary for a member to allege that the President had received a R1 billion bribe.
The House chairperson Cedric Frolick ruled that the statement was unparliamentary and instructed Mngxitama to withdraw it. He complied.
Mngxitama then turned to the 2012 Marikana tragedy.
"Those workers died because they wanted nothing but a living wage. They wanted education for their children. There were no criminals. You called the police on them and they were massacred," he said.
ANC MP Cameron Dugmore raised a point of order, arguing that Mngxitama was casting aspersions on the President despite the findings of the Marikana Commission of Inquiry, which made no adverse findings against Ramaphosa.
Frolick said he would seek guidance from parliamentary staff before issuing a considered ruling.
Mngxitama later withdrew another remark after the chairperson ruled that his statement suggesting Ramaphosa's "hands were dripping in blood" violated parliamentary Rule 85.
He also raised questions about the death of attorney Eugene Farber, whom he said had been linked to allegations surrounding the CR17 campaign and Bosasa donations.
"What happened to your CR17 alleged money laundering lawyer, Eugene Farber, who allegedly died in his sleep? Farber’s law firm allegedly received the Bosasa R500,000 on your behalf," Mngxitama said.
Farber, who died at the age of 67 in August 2019, was linked to Ramaphosa’s CR17 political campaign.
He further referred to the death of former Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson.
Watson died in a car crash near OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg in August 2019. He had been implicated in allegations of high-level corruption and state capture.
Mngxitama also referred to the death of former Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Sandile Mfazi.
"The list is long, Mr Ramaphosa. We remind the nation of the mysterious death of Deputy Commissioner of Police Lt-Gen Sandile Mfazi, who was, among other things, involved in investigations into the Phala Phala scandal," he said.
Mfazi died in 2021. The official explanation was that he died from Covid-19-related complications.
At the time, he was reportedly involved in several high-profile investigations.
Dugmore again raised a point of order, arguing that Mngxitama was repeatedly breaching parliamentary rules by pursuing the same line of argument.
The chairperson declined to intervene.
"Honourable Member, I cannot silence the member. I will rule on matters as they arise during his speech and then make a decision in terms of the rules," he said.
Mngxitama urged South Africans to support a petition called Justice for Mfazi.
"Mr Ramaphosa, how many more must die in the massive cover-up of your wrongdoing? Death and corruption follow you, sir," he said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa came under renewed pressure in Parliament on Tuesday as MK Party MP Andile Mngxitama questioned the origins of foreign currency linked to the Phala Phala controversy.
Image: IOL
He then returned to the Phala Phala controversy.
"President, you must still tell the nation how American dollars arrived in the country. Did they come through OR Tambo International Airport or did they jump the Limpopo River on the back of a crocodile?" he asked.
He further alleged that Ramaphosa was implicated in criminal conduct.
ANC MP Jim Skosana raised a point of order under Rule 90, arguing that Mngxitama was discussing a matter that would soon come before the impeachment committee.
The chairperson rejected the objection, saying the rule of anticipation did not apply because the committee had not yet begun its deliberations and the matter was not before the House.
Mngxitama concluded by predicting that Ramaphosa would not survive the impeachment inquiry.
“Mr Ramaphosa, you will not survive the impeachment committee. There is no safety in the so-called GNU numbers. The GNU will not provide protection. It will be you standing alone before the committee, answering for the wrongdoings committed in your name," he said.
He also criticised Ramaphosa's presidency, saying the lives of South Africans had deteriorated under his leadership.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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