Cape Town – ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has expressed the ruling party’s support for the Public Protector’s report on the Phala Phala farm scandal.
Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of violating the Executive Members Ethics Code in relation to the 2020 Phala Phala burglary, which involved the theft of $580 000 from his farm.
Speaking during his opening address of the ANC Youth League’s elective conference at Nasrec on Saturday, Mbalula said the ANC Gcaleka’s report and was “very happy” that Ramaphosa was exonerated.
He emphasised the party’s respect for the rule of law, saying that disagreements should be addressed through legal means rather than personal attacks.
Mbalula condemned personal insults of Gcaleka and said those who disagreed with her findings were “well within their rights” to approach the courts.
“There are people sitting here hoping the president will not finish his term. Kholeka has shown them fireworks and released that report. As the ANC, we are very happy that the Public Protector has exonerated our president.
“… If you disagree with the Public Protector you go to court. As the ANC we are happy that the president was exonerated.
“You don’t insult her because she’s a woman… because you expected her to agree with you. You have to put the facts before a judge and challenge the outcome. That’s why the decisions of the Public Protector can be reviewed,” Mbalula said.
[WATCH] “If you disagree with the Public Protector you go to court. As the ANC we are happy that the president was exonerated.”-ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula reacted to acting public protector Kholeka Gcaleka’s Phala Phala report. #ANCYL #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/ZrFTkq3Tkp
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 1, 2023
Reacting to the Public Protector’s findings on Friday, DA leader John Steenhuisen expressed dissatisfaction with the report and said he intended to challenge it in court.
He critiicised it as a “whitewash” and a “pro-Ramaphosa PR exercise”.
“Acting Public Protector, Adv Koleka Gcaleka’s report on allegations of a violation of the Executive Members Ethics Act by President Cyril Ramaphosa pertaining to a theft at his farm at Phala Phala delivered earlier today, was nothing more than a whitewash of the entire sordid Phala Phala scandal.
“Given that Adv Gcaleka is vying for the top job within the Office of the Public Protector, her report today read more like a job interview than a concluded investigation.
“By burying the merits of this investigation in legal jargon and semantics, and contorting the law in her interpretation of both the Executive Members Ethics Act and the Constitution, she has attempted to paint President Cyril Ramaphosa as nothing more than an innocent bystander to the Phala Phala scandal, oblivious to the workings of the Presidential Protection Services, his responsibilities as the head of South Africa’s national executive, and his duty as the first citizen of the nation.
“This report could only be described as a pro-Ramaphosa public relations exercise.
ALSO READ | Phala Phala scandal: Ramaphosa reaffirms he didn’t breach his oath of office
“The Democratic Alliance will be consulting with our lawyers to take this report on review as we believe it contains a number of misinterpretations of the relevant pieces of legislation, and presents a worrying lack of evidence that the Office of the Public Protector itself has seemingly failed to source.
“In doing so, Adv Gcaleka has muddied the waters of a matter to which South Africans still do not have any clear answers,” Steenhuisen said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and ATM also rejected the report and plan to review it through legal channels.
The EFF said the report was “not worth the paper it was written on”.
“The Phala Phala Farm scandal is an egregious manifestation of corruption and a direct assault on South Africa’s economic sovereignty. The EFF remains resolute in its commitment to holding President Ramaphosa accountable for his crimes. The EFF will convene with our legal team to weigh available options, including but not limited to, a review of the report,” the party said in a statement.
EFF Statement On The Acting Public Protector’s Nonsensical Report On Cyril Ramaphosa’s Criminal Activity Relating To Phala Phala Farm
-In consideration of the findings of the Independent Panel, the report by the Kholeka Gcaleka is therefore not worth the paper it is written on,… pic.twitter.com/LabI4N09qk
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) June 30, 2023
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
