(3 minutes read)
A long-awaited report on an alleged corruption scandal targeted at South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be discussed in Parliament on December 6, which will have great ramifications on his candidacy for presidentship for the next term
A long-awaited report on an alleged corruption scandal targeted at South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be discussed in Parliament on December 6, which will have great ramifications on his candidacy for the presidency for the next term.
As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com earlier, an independent parliamentary committee was tasked in September with examining President Ramaphosa’s accountability in the 2020 case. Adverse findings on his role in the case could lead to a possible vote for his impeachment.
The parliamentary committee which met recently extended the date for the report submission to November 30. After that, Parliament would examine the report on December 6. Incidentally, it is ten days before the congress of the historic ruling party, the ANC decides the candidacy of its nominee as president for the next election. The parliamentary recess that was supposed to start on December 1 has been postponed to consider the report.
The African National Congress (ANC) will meet on December 16 to choose whether or not to have Mr. Ramaphosa’s candidacy for a second term in the presidential election of 2024. If any adverse findings are there, re-electing him as president of the party may become difficult. Analysts opine that in all probability, he might sail through, because of his track record as a person who meant business, despite the cloud over his involvement in the case.
According to a complaint filed in June by former South African intelligence chief Arthur Fraser, burglars broke into a farm owned by the president in Phala Phala, in the country’s northeast, in February 2020. They found large sums of money in cash. Cyril Ramaphosa is accused of concealing the robbery from the police and the money from the tax authorities, organizing the kidnapping and interrogation of the robbers, and then bribing them to keep quiet.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/will-ramaphosa-get-another-chance-to-lead-south-africa/
https://trendsnafrica.com/collective-opposition-efforts-to-eject-president-ramaphosa-from-office/
https://trendsnafrica.com/ramaphosa-cuts-short-foreign-visits-as-fuel-crisis-worsens/
The President had denied the accusations, questioning the amounts mentioned and maintaining that the money found was in fact from the sale of livestock. He also denounced the political aims of his opponents. In South Africa, the impeachment of the head of state is subject to a two-thirds majority vote in the National Assembly. The ANC led by Cyril Ramaphosa holds more than two-thirds of the seats. Therefore, his nomination as party chief is very crucial in retaining his position as the president.
