Parliament's 31-member panel to reassess evidence in Phala Phala saga
Parliament has constituted a committee to look into the Phala Phala scandal which has led to mounting calls to impeach President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Image: Phando Jikelo
National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has announced the formation of a 31-member committee tasked with reviewing evidence related to the Phala Phala saga. The committee will play a crucial role in deciding whether President Cyril Ramaphosa should face impeachment proceedings.
The high-stakes committee will be made up of MPs from all 16 political parties represented in Parliament, drawing attention to the theft of foreign currency at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in 2020.
The ANC will hold nine seats on the committee, followed by the DA with five, MKP with three and the EFF with two.
Smaller parties including the IFP, PA, FF Plus, ActionSA, ACDP, UDM, Rise Mzansi, BOSA, ATM, Al-Jama-ah, NCC and UAT will each have one representative.
Parliament said Didiza’s approach was aimed at balancing proportional representation with inclusivity to ensure smaller parties also participate in what is expected to be one of the most politically charged parliamentary processes in recent years.
“Accordingly, this is to ensure that smaller political parties, which may otherwise not be accommodated through a strict mathematical application of proportional representation, are also afforded representation and participation in the committee’s work,” Parliament said in a statement.
Political parties have until May 22 to submit the names of MPs who will serve on the committee.
The committee will revisit the Section 89 independent panel report into the Phala Phala farm theft, a report Ramaphosa is challenging through a court review process.
Ramaphosa has rejected calls to resign, insisting earlier this week that he “did not do anything wrong”.
A two-thirds majority vote in parliament would be required to remove the president from office.