Parliament studying president's review papers, says Mapisa-Nqakula

Ramaphosa filed the papers at the Constitutional Court on Monday. 

The National Assembly’s programming committee met late on Monday night where Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula agreed to requests by political parties to have the vote on the section 89 panel report be held physically, with MPs present in the house without an option to attend virtually.

The meeting came hours after the ANC resolved it’s MPs should vote against the adoption of the section 89 panel’s report, which found the president has a prima facie case to answer over allegations he broke the law during and after the theft at his private farm in Limpopo.

Mapisa-Nqakula says she is unsure if Parliament will oppose Ramaphosa’s Constitutional Court application to have the report set aside.

"My response to you was firstly we are studying the papers, the president's review of the report application thereof and then following that, I then should get a legal opinion. I am not a legal guru. Politically yes, I do have an appreciation that this was a process initiated by Parliament and whatever we do we will have to take that into consideration.

"So, I don't think this is fair that at this time at 10 o'clock I should be pressured into, because I don't even know what the document says, and I don't know if we agree with everything, or we do not agree with things that are raised in the document. 

"I think that we should give ourselves time to go through the report and then look at the advice that we are receiving and then proceed. We will not hide it from you, we will definitely inform you about what route we are taking because whatever route the speaker's office is taking the speaker will be taking that route pon behalf of the members of Parliament." 

The lawmakers are to prepare to convene next Tuesday for a special sitting to debate the findings of the Phala Phala report.

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