Comments by Cheryllyn Dudley (former MP, author, political advisor)
The Section 89 panel chaired by retired chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, has released an 82-page report which recommends impeachment proceedings against the President for paid work outside his official duties, exposing him to a conflict of interests and contravening the Prevention of Corrupt Activities Act.
They found:
“There was a deliberate intention not to investigate the commission of the crimes committed at Phala Phala openly …
“The request to the Namibian Police to “handle the matter with discretion” confirms this intention.
“The president abused his position as head of state to have the matter investigated and seeking the assistance of the Namibian president to apprehend a suspect.
“There was more foreign currency concealed in the sofa than the amount reflected in the acknowledgment of receipt. This raises the source of the additional currency…”
The ANC has called a special National Executive Committee (NEC) virtual meeting for Thursday evening (1 December 2022) from 7pm, according to a notice seen by Daily Maverick.
Should President Ramaphosa decide to resign Deputy President David “DD” Mabuza May well be our next president, but resignation is not a given. At present President Ramaphosa is in the lead within party structures to retain the ANC presidency for a second term and has significant support. It is also likely that the ANC representatives In Parliament will oppose any move to impeach the President depending on decisions taken at the NEC meeting today.
This will be a tough decision for the President and the party leadership who are between a rock and a hard place. As many will be celebrating the pending fall of our current President, I see this as one of those times when “winning the battle will lead to losing the war”.
I am always concerned that so many will easily pray with our emotions and forget to consider the long-term impact which is why I titled this “be careful what you pray for as you might get it”.
While I am saddened by this turn of events - I am praying “God Your will be done”. I can’t help thinking here of King David who was the anointed king of Israel. He was chosen by the Lord while King Saul was on the throne. David was called a man after God's own heart because he was faithful to the Lord, he was repentant when he did wrong, and he loved the Lord with all his heart.
As always, I am never shocked that human beings behave like human beings knowing this is inevitable. What matters is that we take responsibility for our failings, repent, and learn from our transgressions. I must confess that notwithstanding my limited understanding and human tendencies I have more than appreciated the ‘good governance’ modeled in the Ramaphosa era and will be sad to see it cut short. And I am thinking here of the decisive and caring leadership shown when we like the rest of the world faced the known and unknown potential horror of COVID-19; the courageous efforts to support the Zondo commission and help SA grow in awareness of how vulnerable we all are to corruption and the huge commitment to sustainable energy supply just to name a few examples.
The bottom line for me is, however, ‘what the enemy means for our destruction, God is able to use for good’ - only of course if we stop complaining and get behind his plan.