African Transformation Movement (ATM) parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of being “hellbent on avoiding or pushing back against being held accountable,” following the president’s response to a recent Constitutional Court judgment.
Zungula’s remarks come after the Constitutional Court ordered on Friday that an impeachment committee be established to investigate the Phala Phala scandal, in which the president faces allegations relating to an unreported theft of undeclared foreign currency at his farm.
“The crisis we are in as a country is having a president that is hellbent on avoiding or pushing back against being held accountable,” Zungula said. He explained that an impeachment committee would allow facts to be “put on top of the table” and enable citizens to see what transpired at Phala Phala, before a decision is taken on whether to impeach the president.
Zungula argued that Ramaphosa is fighting against a process where evidence is laid bare for the public. “It is deeply worrying for a person that is saying he’s going to cooperate with investigations that are done by different institutions. However, the only institution he’s accountable to, he is fighting tooth and nail when it comes to when that institution wants to have an inquiry,” he said.
The ATM leader drew a contrast with other figures who have subjected themselves to processes such as Senzo Mchunu and the Madlanga commission. “Why is a president refusing that parliament does its work?” Zungula asked, adding that only parliament can scrutinize a president’s constitutional violations.
Citing Section 34 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA), Zungula stated that once a person has knowledge of fraud, corruption, or theft exceeding 100,000 rand, they must report it to a police official in the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). “The president did not do that. So it is the clearest indication that there was wrongdoing,” he said.
Zungula rejected Ramaphosa’s suggestion that the push for accountability is driven by opponents of his “renewal project,” calling it an attempt by the president to position himself as a victim. “No one said he must have undeclared dollars there. No one said he must task someone who is mandated to protect him to criminally investigate. We are where we are simply because he violated the law,” Zungula said.
He insisted that opposition parties are not fighting the president personally. “No one is fighting him. We’re fighting for the principle of accountability. Because if we don’t fight it, who says now the ministers can’t do that?” He warned that accepting a president avoiding accountability would set a dangerous precedent for ministers and other officials.
Asked about Ramaphosa’s emphasis on rebuilding institutions, Zungula responded that if the president were serious, he would support parliament’s process, particularly following the Constitutional Court’s ruling. He characterized the president’s legal review of the independent panel’s report as not done in good faith, noting that Ramaphosa only announced his intention to take the report on review on December 5, 2022. Zungula alleged this was a tactical move to block the report’s adoption in parliament.
“Why would a president avoid an inquiry?” Zungula asked. “An inquiry gives you the most opportune moment to state your case. If people are saying ATM is obsessed or maybe there’s a witch hunt, he can provide evidence so that he can defeat us on facts. But once he is fighting against an inquiry, it shows that he does not want South Africans to know what transpired in Phala Phala.”
He noted that the Phala Phala incident occurred in 2020, and that “if Arthur Fraser did not go public and speak about the issue, we would not know about Phala Phala.”
Zungula concluded that Ramaphosa is “not transparent, not willing to subject himself to the processes of parliament, the only institution that can hold him accountable.” He added: “The fish rots from the head. If a president can be held accountable, I can assure you the ministers and other people would fear committing wrongs.”