President Cyril Ramaphosa responded to a barrage of accusations and insults when he addressed the National Assembly on Friday in response to the Presidency budget debate.
Shortly after starting his address, he was interrupted by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Members of Parliament (MP) who labelled him as a criminal and accused him of money laundering and of failing to disclose a 2020 robbery at his Limpopo game farm.
In a chaotic and rowdy scuffle, all the EFF MPs present at the National Assembly were removed from the chamber for disruption and repeatedly raising the same points of order, and the National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula suspended proceedings temporarily. What resulted was a three-hour delay in parliamentary proceedings because the EFF MPs refused to be addressed by Ramaphosa; they questioned whether he was in the position to address them in the light of criminal charges against him.
This comes after similar disruptions happened during the president’s presentation of the Presidency’s Budget Vote on Thursday, where he also announced the suspension of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane. While the president addressed the National Assembly on Thursday, EFF MPs similarly caused disruptions after they raised issues around the same allegations.
When Ramaphosa finally returned to the assembly after the temporary suspension, he could properly continue the budget debate, but also respond to the accusations.
In response to the accusations, he stated that law enforcement agencies must be allowed to do their work.
“The robbery that took place on my farm Phala Phala in 2020 is the subject of a criminal complaint, and the law must take its course. In other words, due process must be followed,” he said.
In response to the insults he received, he simply stated he “will not respond to insults“.
Ramaphosa then went on to remind MPs about his “track record of accountability” in Parliament and in the Zondo Commission. Thus far, the Presidency has denied any criminal activity by Ramaphosa, and Ramaphosa himself continues to claim his innocence, stating that he “never have and will never steal from taxpayers“.
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Picture: Cape {town} Etc gallery