THE Speaker of the Parliament Mrs. Thoko Didiza is under fire as more groups support the proposal that she be removed from office, accusing her of protecting President Cyril Ramaphosa, in the matter concerning the availability of US dollar coins at his farm in Limpopo, Phala Phala.
The EFF wrote to the Deputy Speaker, Ms Annelie Lotriet, that there was a proposal of no confidence in the leadership of Mrs. Didiza, following the rejection of the proposal of different groups, including the committee that is considering removing Ramaphosa from office, on the issue of Phala Phala.
Mrs. Didiza did not accept the proposal to oppose Ramaphosa’s urgent request to suspend the work of the committee considering his removal from office. He said that he wants his request to be heard to review the report of the team led by the retired Judge, Sandile Ngcobo, who said that there may be a case that Ramaphosa has to answer for the issue of finding these quails in this farm.
IMKP supports the EFF’s proposal to remove Mrs. Didiza from office. The leader of the EFF, Mr. Julius Malema, urged Ms. Lotriet to expedite the motion of no confidence in Mrs. Didiza because she failed to defend Parliament on the issue of Ramaphosa’s removal from office.
“The Speaker chose to be politically biased rather than prioritizing what is mandated by the Constitution. He did not oppose Ramaphosa’s request to stop the work of the Parliamentary committee,” he said.
He accused the Speaker of ignoring the legal advice to oppose the president’s request.
“He has tarnished the reputation of Parliament and that is why we want a proposal to remove him from office,” said Malema.
MKP spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu said the Speaker’s decision not to oppose Ramaphosa’s request is intended to delay the work of Parliament.
“The Constitutional Court made it clear that the process of considering Ramaphosa’s removal from office must continue. The Speaker’s office is responsible for ensuring that the work of Parliament is not disrupted.”
He said they have entered the matter of the Western Cape high court, to oppose Ramaphosa’s request to stop the committee’s work.
“We are doing this to ensure that the decision of the Constitutional Court on Phala Phala is respected. The matter is expected to go to court on July 15 and 16,” said Mahlangu.
The Speaker of Parliament, Moloto Mothapo, denied that the Speaker is trying to delay the program and said that after the decision of the Constitutional Court, he confirmed that all instructions are being followed.
“The duty of the Speaker is to protect the reputation of Parliament. He did everything that was ordered by the court, so it is not true that he wants to delay the work of the committee.”
Regarding the motion of no confidence in the speaker’s leadership, he said that a similar motion needs to go through the different sections of Parliament.
“This proposal will be considered following the terms of the Parliament,” he said.
Other groups also criticized Mrs. Didiza’s decision not to oppose Ramaphosa’s request.