By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has thrown its weight behind party president Cyril Ramaphosa on the Phala Phala controversy.
ANCYL briefed the media on Phala Phala and other national issues.
Ramaphosa on Monday, stated that he will take the Section 89 panel report on Judicial Review but he will not interdict or attempt to block the implementation of the recent Constitutional Court ruling.
Instead, he has expressed respect for the court’s decision and indicated his commitment to allowing the parliamentary process to unfold.
ANCYL president Collen Malatji Malatji said: “We have a strong view as the Youth League that the process of Parliament must stop until the review is finalised.
“We are saying that Parliament must not rush; they must wait for the president to exhaust all those processes. But for now, they must wait for the process of the review to be finalised with the president.”
Malatji further elaborated, saying that the existence of two or more parallel processes would only complicate matters, creating confusion about which reports should guide parliamentary decisions.
“We can’t have two processes that are speaking to the same process, because which report are you going to use there if the report is on review? Now we say that the process must stop, then we allow the president to conclude the process that he started. What if the courts and everyone else say that the president is right?” he added.
This development comes after the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament acted unlawfully in 2022 when it rejected a Section 89 panel report on the matter.
Malatji said the Youth League would not call for Ramaphosa to step down or be subjected to the ANC’s step-aside rule in the absence of a formal charge.
“We are not the ‘hands-off Ramaphosa Youth League’; we are a youth league of the ANC and the first line of defence for the ANC,” he said.
“Anyone found guilty of wrongdoing, we are the first ones to call them out. Just to add on, Ramaphosa is not even accused of stealing state resources.”
The SACP meanwhile through General Secretary Solly Mapaila, expressed preference for appropriate handling of the matter. They want the matter expedited rather than delayed impeachment process.
Options to the contrary would only exacerbate the reputational crisis already facing the state and the Presidency, which is neither desirable nor aligned with the concept of “public good”.
This matter is not only related to the fate of Ramaphosa as an individual but also to the fate of an entire nation, it said.
“The weight and significance of the office he holds are bigger than his personal affairs, including the questions of what happens or does not happen in his game farm.”
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said that it noted Ramaphosa’s intention to exercise his legal rights to take the report upon Review.
“Whilst the Report and its allegations are a matter of great concern to all, it is important that space be provided to Parliament to fulfill its responsibilities in full, including as directed by the Constitutional Court. We expect all Members of Parliament, across party lines, to uphold the spirit and letter of the Constitution at all times, in particular in how it processes these serious matters of state. Now is not the time to play to the public gallery, irrespective of the pending local elections and politicians’ desperation for social media likes and media headlines. This is more so during these uncertain and sensitive times, both global and domestic,” Cosatu stated.