The Presidency advises that President Cyril Ramaphosa will shortly issue a statement in response to the report of the Independent Panel of Experts on Section 89.
The report was released Wednesday evening.
This came hours after a panel chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngkobo handed over its report to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwa Mapisa-Nkakula, yesterday morning.
They found that he may have seriously breached Section 34(1) of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act.
The law obliges any authority to report corrupt transactions if they know or may suspect that such a crime has been committed.
The commission found that the information that was placed before it indicated that the president may have committed a serious violation of section 96 (2) (a) of the Constitution, which states that cabinet members and deputy ministers cannot perform other paid work.
The Commission considers that the President may also have seriously violated the Constitution in terms of section 96 (2) (b) by acting in a manner contrary to his oath and exposing himself to any situation involving the risk of conflict between his official duties and private the interests of const.
The report was released to Members of Parliament and the public via notice boards and Committee Reports (ATC) on Wednesday evening.
Reaction to the release of the report
Reaction from political parties was mixed after the parliamentary Section 89 panel released its findings on Wednesday night.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuizen says the panel’s report on Section 89 has put President Cyril Ramaphosa in an exceptionally difficult position.
Steenhuisen says: “We are going to spend the evening studying the report and will review it with our legal team. We will make a full and proper statement on Thursday about what we believe is the best way forward. But I would say at this stage that we respect the results of the panel. I think that the echo of this report in the country as a whole will be significantly felt in the coming days.”
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have called on President Ramaphosa to step down in line with the recommendations of the independent Section 89 panel tasked with investigating the Phala Phala farm scandal.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tamba called the group’s recommendations damning and scathing.
“Look, as the EFF, we find this reprehensible, scathing and the very final conclusion of an independent panel that has essentially told the nation, the continent and the world that South Africa is ruled by a thug, money-laundering, constitutional-violating president and his oath.”
United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holamisa also called on President Ramaphosa to step down.
Galamisa said that parliament no longer needed to consider the matter.
