Didiza rejects bias claims from ATM in Phala Phala process
National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has rejected allegations of bias in the Section 89 impeachment process involving President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The African Transformation Movement has called for Didiza to recuse herself, alleging that she met with the president’s legal team after the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Phala Phala matter.
Parliament has dismissed the claims as false.
“The Speaker is a Member of Parliament elected by the African National Congress, as all Members of the National Assembly are elected through a proportional representation system on behalf of their respective political parties,” spokesperson Moloto Mathapo said.
“The Speaker also serves as a member of the ANC's National Executive Committee and National Working Committee and is therefore required to attend meetings of these structures as part of her political responsibilities. Attendance at party meetings by Members of Parliament is lawful, normal and entirely consistent with South Africa's constitutional democracy and multiparty political system.”
On Monday, Parliament’s newly constituted Impeachment Committee elected the RISE Mzansi MP, Makashule Gana, as chairperson.
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The committee was established after the Constitutional Court ruled that the National Assembly's vote to end investigations into the robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala game farm was unconstitutional.
Didiza said Ramaphosa had not asked Parliament to halt impeachment proceedings linked to the Phala Phala saga.
The president filed his review application in the Western Cape High Court last Tuesday, saying he wants the report set aside as the panel misunderstood its mandate.
Meanwhile, ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli defended Didiza, accusing the ATM of making unfounded allegations for political relevance.
