Parliament says claims that Speaker Thoko Didiza met President Cyril Ramaphosa’s lawyers over the Phala Phala matter are false, baseless and unsupported by facts.
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The Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, has rejected allegations by African Transformation Movement (ATM) MP Vuyo Zungula that she cannot act impartially in the Section 89 impeachment process involving President Cyril Ramaphosa and should recuse herself.
Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said Didiza rejected "in the strongest terms" allegations that she met with lawyers representing Ramaphosa following the Constitutional Court judgment relating to the Phala Phala matter.
"These allegations are entirely false, without any factual basis, and appear to rely solely on tabloid reporting," Mothapo said.
He said the Speaker had never met with the President's legal representatives, either as alleged by Zungula or in any other context relating to the matter.
"The Speaker reiterates that she has never met with the legal representatives of the President, either as alleged by Mr Zungula or in any other context relating to this matter," Mothapo said.
Mothapo said Zungula's allegations appeared aimed at undermining both the integrity of the Speaker and the credibility of the Section 89 process currently underway.
"The allegations made by Mr Zungula are based on pure speculation and appear calculated to cast doubt on the integrity of the Speaker and the credibility of the Section 89 process currently underway," he said.
He added that while Zungula continued to advance the claims in public, the Speaker had complied with every directive arising from the Constitutional Court judgment without delay or hesitation, including the establishment of the multiparty Impeachment Committee in line with the court’s order and parliamentary procedures.
''The Speaker is a Member of Parliament elected through a proportional representation system, Mothapo said, adding that she also serves on the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee and National Working Committee, which requires her to attend party meetings as part of her political responsibilities.
He said attendance at party meetings by Members of Parliament is lawful, normal, and consistent with South Africa’s constitutional democracy and multiparty political system.
This comes after opposition parties backed calls for Didiza to recuse herself from all matters relating to the Impeachment Committee on the Section 89 enquiry.
On Monday, Zungula said several opposition parties had met ahead of the committee’s first sitting, where they discussed procedural concerns about the process.
He said the parties, which included the DA, EFF, MK Party, ActionSA, UDM, ACDP, FF Plus, Rise Mzansi, BOSA, and the United Africans Transformation (UAT), had raised concerns about aspects of oversight, including the appointment of evidence leaders and the committee’s terms of reference.
Zungula said there was agreement among opposition parties that the committee should not be chaired by an ANC-aligned figure, arguing that the governing party had already “taken a posture” in relation to Ramaphosa.
He added that parties had also agreed the impeachment process should continue unless it is halted by a court interdict or set aside by the Constitutional Court.
Mothapo also said the Speaker further rejected claims that her participation in the National Assembly vote on the Independent Panel Report in December 2022 constituted grounds for her recusal from any subsequent Section 89 process.
He said Didiza participated in the vote in her capacity as an elected Member of Parliament and exercised the same constitutional rights and responsibilities afforded to every other member of the House.
"The Speaker will not be deterred from discharging her constitutional responsibilities as directed by the Court, as required by the Constitution, and as expected by the people of South Africa," Mothapo said.
He added that Didiza had acted throughout the matter in accordance with legal advice from Parliament's Legal Services Office and would continue to do so while carrying out her duties.
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