President Cyril Ramaphosa was free from possible removal from office — and boosted en route to his second term as ANC president — on the back of ANC numbers in the House on Tuesday. With 214 votes against, 148 for and two abstentions, any parliamentary Phala Phala farm forex impeachment proceedings were shot down.
Just three days before the ANC Nasrec elective conference, Tuesday’s vote in Parliament signalled President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recovery in support of his contest for a second term as party president. And it would have given a measure of satisfaction to his close allies who persuaded him not to resign, and then in rough and ready manoeuvring ensured the recent ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) decision for its deployees in Parliament to vote down the impeachment recommendations.
But it was not an unqualified victory — not for Parliament, which again stands accused of failing as the accountability and oversight spear of the state — and also not for the governing ANC.
The State Capture commission reports state that the national legislature failed to act timeously, in keeping with its constitutional responsibilities of oversight and holding to account, adding that party discipline “may not legitimately be directed at obstructing Members of Parliament”.
In an unprecedented turn of events on Tuesday, a handful of ANC MPs, including Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, openly defied the party line to support impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa.
Comments are closed.