CHARLES MOLELE
FORMER president Thabo Mbeki has criticized the ANC for using its parliamentary majority to prevent investigations into criminal activities at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
The former statesman also questioned why the formation of a multi-party committee (MPC) to investigate the Phala Phala scandal was stopped if members of the ANC believed that the President had not done anything impeachable.
Mbeki made these comments in an explosive 17-page letter dated 29 March, which he addressed to ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
“The way we voted on 13 December 2022 to block the process of the formation of an MPC communicated the unequivocal statement to the mases of the people that we do not want Parliament to seek and gain a deeper and comprehensive understanding of the Phala Phala matter. In other words, we acted as we did because there is something to hide,” Mbeki writes in his letter.
Mbeki also criticized the party’s handling of the Phala Phala issue, emphasizing that it was poorly managed and no different from the way the party handled the Nkandla matter involving former President Jacob Zuma.
Mbeki, a veteran of ANC politics, has consistently maintained his stance on these matters, emphasizing that Members of Parliament (MPs) should always act in Parliament as representatives of the people, rather than as representatives of the political parties they may belong to. In 2017, during a motion of no confidence against Zuma, Mbeki urged ANC MPs to prioritize the interests of South African voters over the interests of the party.
“History had made the firm and unequivocal statement that we should never have acted as we did for a long time to support Comrade JZ from doing what he ultimately agreed was the right thing to do, i.e. to honour the Remedial Action decided by the Public Protector,” said Mbeki.
“Without doubt, the wrong positions we took with regard to the Nkandla matter, impacted negatively on the standing of the ANC with many among the masses of our people. It is equally without doubt that any wrong position we take with regard to the Phala Phala matter will also in equal measure or more, impact negatively on the standing of the ANC with many among the masses of our people.”
Mbeki pointed out that since the Phala Phala case broke in June 2022 when former spy boss Arthur Fraser lodged a complaint against Ramaphosa at the Rosebank police station, many lingering questions have been raised about what actually happened at the farm.
“Phala Phala matter broke over our heads in June 2022 when Arthur Fraser lodged his complaint against our Comrade President with the SAPS. Since then many questions relating to this matter have been posed in the public domain. So far, nine (9) months after the Fraser complaint, none of these questions has been answered,” said Mbeki.
“The recent report by SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter that no record of the declaration to Customs has been found of the US $580 000 Cde President Ramaphosa says was stolen, deepens the puzzle about what exactly happened at Phala Phala farm.”
Mbeki also raised his concerns regarding how the ANC approached the Phala Phala matter in Parliament.
Said Mbeki: “Earlier this month, on March 22, 2023, we voted against the formation of a Parliamentary Multi-Party Ad-Hoc Committee (PMPAC) to investigate the Phala Phala matter, consistent with the position we took on 13 December 2022. The Mover of the Motion to establish the PMPAC, the DA, proposed that the PMPAC should be constituted as follows: “11 voting members of the Assembly, as follows: African National Congress 6, Democratic Alliance 2, Economic Freedom Fighters 1 and other parties 2; and further consist of 14 non-voting members of the Assembly”. The question arises: Why did we oppose the formation of the PMPAC?”
In addition, Mbeki also expressed his criticism of Mashatile for the comments he made during his Q&A session in the National Assembly, deeming them “extremely embarrassing, to the point of being humiliating.”
During the Q&A session, DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube asked Mashatile about Parliament’s constitutional obligation when the ANC blocked its draft proposals for establishment of an ad hoc committee to look into aspects of Phala Phala.
In response, Mashatile defended his comments by saying that this was how democracy operated, with the majority having the final say. He emphasized that “democracy means that the majority rules, and there’s no way around it.”
Said Mbeki: “Comrade Deputy President, I am fully conscious of the fact that you gave this response to a ‘follow-up question’ and was therefore off-the-cuff. I hope that since then you have reflected on this whole exchange with the DA Chief Whip and seriously assessed your off-the-cuff comments. I say this because it is virtually impossible to relate these comments to various long-established policy positions of the ANC.”
“This I must also say – that it was very embarrassing, to the point of humiliation, that a message could be communicated to the public in such a glaring manner that: the DA is the great champion and defender of our Constitution; whereas, the ANC is a determined and committed violator of that Constitution!”
On Thursday night, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet with Mbeki to discuss the Phala Phala letter he sent to the Deputy President on Wednesday.
“We request comrades to refrain from commenting publicly on this matter until the National Officials have had the opportunity to discuss it,” said Mbalula.
INSIDE POLITICS
