Didiza steers impeachment Guidelines forward without fit and proper requirement

Simon Nare

The National Assembly Rules Committee has resolved to remove the fit and proper rule when it referred the Section 89 Impeachment Committee guidelines to probe President Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of the theft of foreign currency in the private Phala Phala farm.

In a virtual meeting on Friday, chaired by Speaker Thoko Didiza, the committee deliberated on the rules, and after submissions by members from various political parties, Didiza appealed to the members not to put the rule to a vote but rather refer the guidelines to the National Assembly for a vote without the fit and proper rule.

Her proposal was opposed by the DA and the ANC, with chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli appealing that the rule must stand and be canvassed at a later stage as the proceedings on the impeachment were ongoing. This was opposed by the main opposition party in parliament the uMkhonto we Sizwe