Ramaphosa confident ConCourt will absolve him on Phala Phala
Opposition parties again sought to grill the president on the Phala Phala matter.
FILE: President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his 2023 State of the Nation Address. Picture: GCIS
CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has full confidence in the Constitutional Court to deliver a comprehensive, final pronouncement on the Phala Phala matter, which has dogged his presidency since 2022.
Opposition parties again sought to grill the president on the matter during question time in the National Assembly on Thursday, outraged by a decision of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) not to prosecute him for the possession of foreign currency on his Limpopo farm.
Next month, the country’s highest court will hear the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)'s case that the National Assembly was wrong to dismiss a Section 89 independent panel report that suggested the president should face an impeachment inquiry.
READ: Batohi tells MPs private prosecution not the answer regarding Phala Phala matter
Facing questions from the MK Party, EFF, and African Transformation Movement (ATM), Ramaphosa held the line that all investigations carried out by various agencies including the Hawks, SA Reserve Bank, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the Public Protector, have absolved him of any wrongdoing.
"As was my obligation, constitutionally and legally. I cooperated with each and every one of these institutions. I answered their questions, provided them with the information they required, and where requested, made myself available for interviews," said Ramaphosa.
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But MK Party parliamentary leader John Hlophe pressed him on whether the transaction in US Dollars was a legal business transaction.
"These matters have been addressed, responded to and the other matter is subject to litigation in a very open and transparent manner through our judicial system," he said.
Ramaphosa said he can’t comment on a decision of the National Assembly to reject the Section 89 panel report in 2022, and it should be left to the court to decide.