Cape Town – Deputy President Paul Mashatile has reportedly appealed for the patience of opposition parties, saying that the ANC is not shielding President Cyril Ramaphosa from accountability over the Phala Phala farm dealings.
“The president has expressed his commitment to cooperate fully with all investigations, so there is no shielding. I think sometimes there’s a zeal to find the president guilty without going through due process. It’s not correct.
“We are a democracy. We’ve institutions set up – independent – nobody is interfering with them. Let’s not be impatient. Let’s allow these institutions to do their work properly. The president is co-operating , he is not interfering and I can assure you that institutions are doing their work without fear or favour,” Mashatile said during his maiden question and answer session in Parliament on Thursday.
[WATCH] EFF MP Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi asks Deputy President Paul Mashitile for his views on the ANC’s use of its majority to ‘shield the president from accountability’ on #Phalaphala. #MashatileQ&A #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/izROBa45HG
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) March 23, 2023
The scandal, which erupted in June last year, revolves around about half-a-million dollars in cash that Ramaphosa has acknowledged were stolen from beneath sofa cushions at his farm.
The president, who has said the money was payment for buffalos bought by a Sudanese businessman, has been accused of failing to report the matter to the police, as well as abusing his powers and exposing himself to a conflict of interest over the affair.
According to News24, Mashatile’s comments came a day after the ANC used its majority in the National Assembly to thwart attempts for an ad-hoc committee to be established to investigate the Phala Phala matter.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
