President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the Presidency’s budget vote in parliament on Thursday, said his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, confirming that the president will physically attend the sitting.
This after the confusion on who will deliver the budget vote after EFF leader Julius Malema’s suggestion that Ramaphosa’s duties be delegated to Deputy President David Mabuza until the allegations of his private business dealings have been resolved.
The confusion was later cleared at the multi-party chief whip’s forum on Wednesday, with the the ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina telling the forum that the governing party does not have a problem with Ramaphosa delivering his vote virtually or physically.
“The president is scheduled to deliver his budget vote in parliament, whether he is going to do that physically or virtually is neither here nor there. What we expect is for the president to deliver his budget vote and that is going to happen,” said Majodina.
“As the ANC, we accept anyone to speak from anywhere because the hybrid session was adopted by us in parliament. At times, the president comes here; at times the president is virtual. It’s not a problem. The only thing that could be a challenge is when one is not available to deliver the budget.”
UDM chief whip Nqabayomzi Kwankwa said his party expects to see Ramaphosa delivering the budget vote, adding that he still needs to face the music and account for his (private business) dealings.
“That is what we expect from the president, especially in light of these allegations against him of money-laundering and tax evasion,” said Kwankwa. “He needs to come here and face the music.”
DA chief whip Natasha Mazonne said it is polite of the president to come to parliament and participate in his debate, especially considering that there is no specific portfolio committee that is dealing with the Presidency. “We were told that he will be around, so he should be where he belongs,” said Mazonne.
FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald on Tuesday said Ramaphosa’s absence from the budget vote debate would be unacceptable, noting that it will not be right for Mabuza to deliver the budget vote.
Meanwhile, the EFF has vowed to disrupt the sitting the minute Ramaphosa takes to the podium. “Ramaphosa must first account for the bribery, kidnapping, and money-laundering charges against him,” said Malema.
“Budget must be addressed by the deputy president because the president must be at the police station explaining himself.”
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Malema asked the president to step aside to allow for a fair investigation into the allegations levelled against him by former spy boss Arthur Fraser last week.
Malema said his party has resolved to set up a legal team to probe Ramaphosa’s removal within the framework of the law. Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi will lead the team looking into the constitutional provisions to have Ramaphosa step aside.
“The integrity of our nation is at stake, and the EFF will use all of its power to ensure that Ramaphosa pays for the crimes that he has committed in this country,” he added.
On Wednesday last week, Fraser opened criminal charges against Ramaphosa at the Rosebank police station. The charges emanate from the alleged theft of over $4-million (R61.5-million) allegedly concealed at the president’s farm.
Fraser said the president was in cahoots with “criminals” who were colluding with his domestic workers. “The president concealed the crime from the South African Police Service and/or South African Revenue Service and thereafter paid the culprits for their silence,” said Fraser.
The Presidency later confirmed that a robbery took place at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in February 2020, but denied Fraser’s claim that the president was involved in the missing “millions”.
Malema added: “If Ramaphosa refuses to step aside to allow an open and transparent investigation to take place, the EFF will then mobilise many sectors of society to stop recognising him as president of the republic, and will not permit him to perform any presidential functions.”
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here
