By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has extended the deadline of the independent panel investigating the Phala Phala scandal.
The panel is probing whether there is prima facie evidence that President Cyril Ramaphosa violated his oath of office during and following the robbery at his private Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo.
The Phala Phala saga first came to light in June after former spy boss Arthur Fraser opened a kidnapping and money laundering case against Ramaphosa, accusing him of attempting to conceal the 2020 robbery in which he alleged millions in foreign currency were stolen.
Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo confirmed the update, saying the extension was requested “due to the amount of work still to be done”.
After receiving a letter from the panel’s chairperson, former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, the speaker extended the deadline by 13 days from 17 November to 30 November.
“In his letter, the chairperson indicated that the panel had assessed the inquiry process to determine if it will meet the submission deadline of Thursday, 17 November 2022, and had, based on its assessment of the amount of ground still to be covered, and the available resources, determined that the inquiry should be completed within 13 days, that is by 30 November 2022,” said Mothapo.
The panel said the additional time requested was realistic taking into account the importance of the inquiry, its complexity, as well as the novelty of the nature of the work involved.