Questions have been raised about whether Cyril Ramaphosa will finish his term as head of state.
The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) wants parliament to debate President Cyril Ramaphosa’s fitness to occupy his office following the critical judgment of the Constitutional Court on Friday.
The party’s spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela, on Saturday said the party will submit a motion of no confidence proposal with the hope of removing Ramaphosa as head of state.
“Following yesterday’s Constitutional Court judgment, the MK Party considers it necessary to formally express our intention to file this motion.
“In light of the constitutional importance of a motion of no confidence, as well as the considerable political pressures surrounding such proceedings, we have written to the Speaker of the National Assembly requesting that the motion be conducted by secret ballot.
“This is to safeguard both the independence and integrity of Members’ votes and to ensure they can exercise their responsibilities freely and effectively,” said Ndhlela.
Prima Facie evidence
He said the Constitutional Court’s ruling that the prima facie evidence relating to the robbery on Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in 2020 warrants a full investigation. He said this casts a “very dark” cloud over the President.
“The MK Party, together with millions of South Africans have totally lost confidence in the current President of South Africa, Mr Ramaphosa. It is only appropriate that we demand his resignation and impeachment,” said Ndhlela.
“The MK Party stands ready to debate this motion at the earliest possible time,” he added.
Meanwhile, political parties such as the EFF have called for Ramaphosa to resign before parliament’s impeachment committee begins its work.
“Now it’s for Ramaphosa to use his conscience and resign as the president of South Africa and go and face impeachment. We cannot face a president who is doing the work of being a president and doing the work of impeachment.
“He must concentrate on one; he can’t concentrate on the one of being a president, he has to concentrate on impeachment. This again goes to the doorstep of the ANC; they must choose South Africa, or they must choose Ramaphosa,” he said.
He was speaking outside the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on Friday.
The Constitutional court has set aside a 2022 parliamentary decision to block parliament from further probing allegations of money laundering that Ramaphosa faces after $580,000 was stolen on his game farm.
Will Ramaphosa jump ship?
Opposition parties such as the EFF want an impeachment committee formed as soon as possible by parliament to get to the bottom of the facts behind the source of these funds.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa has always maintained that the funds were proceeds of the sale of game.
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