WATCH | ‘R6m in the bin’, says Malema as opposition MPs criticise ANC

Despite ideological differences, opposition parties were largely in agreement about the outcome of the vote on whether President Cyril Ramaphosa should face impeachment. 

The DA, EFF, African Transformation Movement (ATM) and Freedom Front Plus agreed the ANC did the wrong thing by voting against the impeachment process. 

“Today is a sad day in South Africa where parliament seeks to reject a report that’s their own initiative. They’ve seen not less than R6m doing the investigations and decided to throw that R6m into a bin,” said EFF leader Julius Malema.

“We’re seeing the same ANC that defended [former president] Jacob Zuma coming out today using their majority in shielding President Ramaphosa  from any accountability,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen.

The ANC had the upper hand with the majority of MPs in the house. The party had told its members to vote against the impeachment call.

Minister of mineral resources and energy Gwede Mantashe said: “What is important here is that we have a party political system and people are here on the party list. Nobody contested the constituency, therefore when we have discussions in the party and take decisions, they must be binding.”

Ramaphosa was facing potential impeachment after an independent panel found he had a case to answer in relation to foreign currency stolen from his Phala Phala farm. 

There are questions about the origin of the funds, which Ramaphosa has said was legitimate. He has taken the report by the panel on review to the Constitutional Court. 

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