Deputy President David Mabuza is expected to take his seat in the National Assembly during a hybrid plenary for oral reply to questions by the MPs on Thursday.
Mabuza will be subjected to a total of six questions covering matters of national importance including the privatisation of Eskom and illegal mining.
The Presidency said in a statement: “To this end, Deputy President Mabuza will outline various measures that government, through the justice, crime prevention and security cluster, has taken to deal with the economic crimes that are negatively affecting the mining environment and the economy.
“In addition, the deputy president will brief parliament on the outcomes of the recent Communal Land Summit and how government intends translating the summit resolutions into practical actions that will develop and grow rural economies.
“Furthermore, as chairperson of the presidential task team on military veterans, the deputy president will appraise parliament on progress made up to so far in resolving the issues raised by the military veterans.”
In August, President Cyril Ramaphosa was also subjected to a list of six questions for oral reply. The session, which was widely seen as an opportunity to get answers about the controversial theft at his farm in Limpopo in February 2020, ended in shambles.
Ramaphosa was expected to answer questions on illegal immigration and gender-based violence, among others. However, the MPs were mostly interested in question six on the list, which dealt with theft at his Phala Phala farm.
Ramaphosa told the MPs that his legal team and law-enforcement authorities handling the case had advised him to only disclose the details of the “farmgate” scandal after the investigations have been completed.
His answer was met with accusations that he was dodging the question.
His spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said later: “The president responded that he stands ready to take the nation into his confidence and that he would do so through the due legal and parliamentary processes.
“He indicated that he has responded, and will continue to respond, to all the questions that have been put to him by the relevant authorities.”
Magwenya added: “He also indicated that he would cooperate with, and be fully accountable to, the Section 89 process that parliament has initiated. It is clear from the president’s reply that he considers it prudent to account on this matter through the due processes.”
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula this week appointed an “independent panel” to probe the Phala Phala matter.
The three-member panel includes:
- Justice Sandile Ngcobo, the former chief justice of the Constitutional Court, has been appointed as chairperson of the panel;
- Judge Thokozile Masipa, the former judge of the Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa;
- Professor Richard Calland, the associate professor of public law at the University of Cape Town.
In a statement on Wednesday, the EFF rejected the panel and accused Mapisa-Nqakula of being biased.
“Her appointments are irrational, biased and are a complete disregard of the consultative process with political parties represented in parliament,” said the EFF in a statement.
“Mapisa-Nqakula has essentially spat in the face of the South African people and our democracy by appointing people who were not nominated by at least one of nine opposition political parties represented in parliament.
“These are political parties who have been given a mandate by the South African people to represent their interests in their majority.”
The EFF added that the panel will “undoubtedly” favour and defend Ramaphosa.
“The ‘independent panel’ will undoubtedly be biased and will favour Ramaphosa by defending his money-laundering and use of state resources to conceal a crime as not an ethical breach of the constitution.”
This is a developing story…
Also read: Ramaphosa dodges questions on Phala Phala farm theft
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