PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has complained that he will be insulted if the Parliamentary committee set up to remove him from office continues its work using the evidence he has applied for to be dismissed.
Ramaphosa said that he wants the work of the committee to pause until a decision is made on the request he filed where he wants the report to be dismissed which found that there may be laws he broke in the matter of the theft of large amounts of American dollars from his Phala Phala farm.
Ramaphosa’s application was heard at the High Court in the Western Cape, yesterday.
Ramaphosa’s lawyer, Advocate Win Trengrove, said the Parliamentary committee will not lose anything if it suspends its work until a decision is made on the petition filed by Ramaphosa.
Trengrove said the Parliamentary committee has no evidence, and said the team appointed in 2022 to investigate failed to do its job.
“In order for the committee to reach a decision to start the process of removing the president from office, there should have been enough evidence to show that there were laws that were broken by the president.”
Parliamentary lawyer, Advocate William Mokhari, said that Ramaphosa’s request is against the decision of the Constitutional Court which says that the committee should start its work.
Mokhari said that no one should oppose the order of the Constitutional Court.
Political parties MKP, EFF and ATM opposed Ramaphosa’s request.
The groups said they want the committee to continue its work.
MKP leader in Parliament, Dr John Hlophe, said the High Court in the Western Cape does not have the power to change the decision of the Constitutional Court.
Hlophe said that Ramaphosa is wasting time by applying.
“The Constitutional Court is the one that issues the final decision.”
The Treasurer of the EFF, Ms Omphile Maotwe, said that Ramaphosa should have resigned from his position when the news about the theft of money from the Phala Phala farm came to light.
“Now the forests are gone. Even if he tries to leave now, we will follow him. There is nowhere for him to hide.”
The leader of ATM in Parliament, Mr. Vuyo Zungula, said that Ramaphosa failed to give serious reasons for the suspension of the committee’s work.
“What we are saying is that Ramaphosa cannot hide that he will be defamed. The important thing here is that he must answer in Parliament. That is what we will say in court.”
The case will continue today.