By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has told Members of Parliament (MPs) that there were individuals and organisations that sought to use Phala Phala farm saga for political gains.
Ramaphosa told National Assembly members that he won’t be answering their questions on the matter just yet.
During a question and answer session on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said he did not want it to appear that he didn’t want to be held accountable.
The Phala Phala farm saga, came to light when former spy boss Arthur Fraser opened a case against Ramaphosa, alleging the president had concealed a theft that occurred at his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
The president said that law enforcement agencies had to be given the space to deal with the matter first.
The sitting has been marred by continuous interjections from the EFF, who want him to disregard the order of questions.
EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu called for the president to answer the question posed by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) about the alleged burglary at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm.
“I have responded, and will continue to respond, to all the questions that have been put to me by the relevant authorities with regards to the theft at my farm.”
It is for me important that due process is followed, including the process that is going to unfold in Parliament.
But opposition parties were not happy with Ramaphosa’s response and said there no legal impediments to him sharing the details.
DA Leader John Steenhuisen said: “Today’s events in Parliament show that we’re facing Nkandla 2.0: Ramaphosa is breaking Parliament to protect himself just like Zuma did. Years of promises about greater accountability are up in smoke as he dodges questions about Phala Phala that he can’t answer.”
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said Chief Whips of the various party would meet on Wednesday to further discuss the matter pertaining to unanswered questions.