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Cabinet: Ramaphosa ‘fine’ in the wake of Phala Phala report
Gugubele asked for the country's indulgence to give Ramaphosa time to study the findings before making any pronouncements.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a speech to Members of the Houses of Parliament and guests, at the Palace of Westminster, home to Britain’s House of Commons and House of Lords, in London on 22 November 2022, as part of his two-day State Visit. (Photo by TOBY MELVILLE / POOL / AFP)
The president is doing ‘fine’, even though he may be facing impeachment after damning findings made in a report probing the 2020 multi-million dollar farm robbery on his privately-owned Phala Phala farm.
Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said President Cyril Ramaphosa responded via his office, saying the findings were’ exceptional and unprecedented’ and committed to studying the findings, which meant that the nation would hear from him.
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Gungubele said the cabinet would respect the process and wait for Ramaphosa to make a pronouncement on the findings.
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“All that we are calling upon South Africans is that the president said he is studying the findings and then in his own statement, he will make a pronouncement in due course, and we strongly call upon South Africans for their indulgence to await that,” said Gungubele
Gungubele: ‘Step aside’ calls not new
On repeated calls for Ramaphosa to heed his own party’s policy for tainted leaders to step aside, Gungubele said this has been going on for a while, and these calls were not new.
However, he reiterated several times during a Cabinet briefing that Ramaphosa is a law-abiding man.
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“Until this point, the president has respected the laws of this country; the president has been subjected to the processes.
“We have not seen anything untoward as far as the laws of this country are concerned,” said Gungubele.
Gungubele said citizens had no reason to feel shocked because there have been no threats to the law of rule, which governs all who live in South Africa.
“Fortunately, this president demonstrated respect for the law, the key thing is adherence and respect for the law.”
President’s commitments postponed for now
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The report findings led to the president postponing an appearance at the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in which he was expected to brief the house on efforts to reduce load shedding and the development of rural and township economies.
Ramphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, also postponed a weekly briefing in which media are informed of the president’s diary commitments.
The state visit by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Moros was also postponed; however, Magwenya said the request for postponement came from Maduro’s office.
When pressed for a time frame in which the president is expected to comment on the report, Gungubele said many things influence the president’s decisions.
“He has been subjected to processes about something that happened in his private home. A president that has been leading the country through many difficult periods and events.
“It’s not just about him; it’s his role. We must wait for the president to make an informed decision,” he concluded.
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