The ANC has presented the election of Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana as chairperson of Parliament’s impeachment inquiry committee as a strategic move, but opposition negotiators say the party was pushed into backing him after its preferred plans began to unravel.
MPs involved in talks before Monday’s vote said the outcome remained fluid until shortly before members entered the meeting room. There, several parties resisted the prospect of an ANC MP chairing a committee that would consider whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer over the Phala Phala burglary.
The DA, Freedom Front Plus, ACDP, Build One South Africa (Bosa), Rise Mzansi and ActionSA were among the parties involved in negotiations.
Gana was elected chairperson of Parliament’s Section 89 committee, which is tasked with investigating the burglary at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm and determining whether grounds exist for an impeachment process.
At the committee’s inaugural meeting, Gana secured 19 votes from the ANC, DA, Patriotic Alliance, IFP, FF Plus, Rise Mzansi and Al Jama-ah.
Opposition parties in the Progressive Caucus nominated United Africans Transformation leader Wonderboy Mahlatsi, who received 12 votes from the EFF, MK Party, Bosa, United Africans Transformation, National Coloured Congress, UDM and ACDP.
But MPs involved in the talks said the result masked a frantic scramble behind the scenes and exposed the increasingly complex parliamentary arithmetic of the government-of-national-unity era.
A senior opposition negotiator said Gana and Bosa leader Mmusi Maimane spent days canvassing support from parties across the political spectrum. “What Gana and Maimane were doing was speaking to everyone. They spoke to the ANC, they spoke to the DA and they spoke to us,” the source said.
Gana confirmed to Sunday World that he had engaged broadly with political parties as part of his campaign.
“It’s normal to talk. You then look at scenarios and lobby political parties, and they discuss among themselves and consider whether you are the best option available. I spoke to all political parties,” Gana said.
The source said Maimane had initially sought ANC backing for his own candidacy but was later informed that the party would not support him.
The negotiator said Maimane’s failure to secure ANC endorsement had contributed to a broader effort to rally support behind a candidate outside the governing party’s control.
A key point in opposition discussions, the source said, was that the committee dealing with Ramaphosa should not be chaired by an ANC MP.
“We were very clear that we did not want an ANC person,” the source said.
The source said opposition parties had been led to believe that ANC deputy chief whip Doris Dlakude was the governing party’s preferred candidate until shortly before the meeting.
The source said Gana was informed around midday that the ANC would support him, a move the negotiator believes was driven more by political necessity than careful planning.
The source said the ANC’s decision came after it became apparent that rival parties were consolidating around Mahlatsi as a compromise candidate.
Mahlatsi emerged as a compromise option after it became apparent that the DA would not support candidates perceived to be closely aligned with either the EFF or the MK Party.
For opposition negotiators, the significance of Monday’s vote lies not in Gana’s election itself but in what they view as the ANC’s inability to dictate the outcome from the outset.
While the ANC has argued that backing Gana demonstrated its willingness to support a non-ANC chairperson, opposition insiders insist the party arrived at that position only after recognising that it risked losing control of the process.
The committee’s attention now shifts to the inquiry, with Gana pledging to run the process impartially.
“It’s to be guided by the rules, to be guided by the Constitution,” he said.
Gana acknowledged that the inquiry would probably be politically charged and vulnerable to procedural disputes.
- The ANC elected Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana as chairperson of Parliament’s impeachment inquiry committee.
- The ANC frames this election as a strategic decision.
- Opposition negotiators claim the ANC was pressured into supporting Gana.
- The ANC's initial preferred plans for the committee leadership began to fall apart.
- Full details of the story require purchasing the e-edition of Sunday World.
MPs involved in talks before
Gana was elected chairperson of Parliament’s Section 89 committee, which is tasked with investigating the burglary at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm and determining whether grounds exist for an impeachment process.
At the committee’s inaugural meeting, Gana secured 19 votes from the ANC, DA, Patriotic Alliance, IFP, FF Plus, Rise Mzansi and Al Jama-ah.
Opposition parties in the Progressive Caucus nominated United Africans Transformation leader
But MPs involved in the talks said the result masked a frantic scramble behind the scenes and exposed the increasingly complex parliamentary arithmetic of the government-of-national-unity era.
A senior opposition negotiator said Gana and Bosa leader Mmusi Maimane spent days canvassing support from parties across the political spectrum. “What Gana and Maimane were doing was speaking to everyone.
Gana confirmed to
“It’s normal to talk. You then look at scenarios and lobby political parties, and they discuss among themselves and consider whether you are the best option available. I spoke to all political parties,” Gana said.
A key point in opposition discussions, the source said, was that the committee dealing with Ramaphosa should not be chaired by an ANC MP.
“We were very clear that we did not want an ANC person,” the source said.
For opposition negotiators, the significance of
While the ANC has argued that backing Gana demonstrated its willingness to support a non-ANC chairperson, opposition insiders insist the party arrived at that position only after recognising that it risked losing control of the process.
“It’s to be guided by the rules, to be guided by the Constitution,” he said.
Gana acknowledged that the inquiry would probably be politically charged and vulnerable to procedural disputes.
