On Monday, Parliament delayed the Cyril Ramaphosa impeachment vote by a week and in the midst of that, a Sudanese businessman by the name of Hazim Mustafa has risen as the plot twist in the Phala Phala farm scandal.
Why was Ramaphosa impeachment voted postponed?
In a statement released in the 11th hour, the National Assembly’s programming committee confirmed an urgent meeting held on Monday resolved to defer the Ramaphosa impeachment vote by a week to allow members enough time to travel to Cape Town.
What was initially supposed to be a hybrid sitting will now be “fully physical, with no provision for virtual participation.”
Moreover, the African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) bid to conduct Ramaphosa’s impeachment vote by secret ballot was dismissed.
“The NA will still convene on Tuesday to deal with the other matters on the Order Paper, including the Children’s Amendment Bill and farewell speeches. The report of the Rules Committee will also be considered,” Parliament noted.
When will Parliament convene to vote on Ramaphosa’s impeachment?
The Ramaphosa impeachment vote will now take place on Tuesday, 13 December 2022 in Cape Town’s make-shift Parliament. Heading into the sitting, Ramaphosa has, according to Africa News, won over the support of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC), a week after reports from insiders suggested several high-ranking leaders had turned against him.
Ramaphosa made his first public appearance at the NEC meeting held in Johannesburg on Monday but was granted permission to recuse himself and he left just before the start of proceedings.
At a media briefing held after the meeting, secretary-general Paul Mashatile made it abundantly clear that the ruling party’s objective at next week’s impeachment vote, where the ANC enjoys a sizable majority, was to stand behind Ramaphosa.
Who is Hazim Mustafa and how does he fit into ‘Phala Phala’ farm scandal?
In the midst of rising tensions within the ANC over Ramaphosa’s fate, a Sudanese businessman named Hazim Mustafa has surfaced as a possible trump card that could play a vital role in clearing the president’s name from wrongdoing in the ‘Phala Phala’ farm scandal.
During an interview with Sky News, Mustafa unveiled himself as the source of the $580 000 (est. R10.1 million) cash lump sum that was stolen from Ramaphosa’s Ankole farm in December 2019.
Moreover, the businessman, who has ties to the deposed Sudanese dictator Omar al Bashir’s regime, apparently had no idea that the cattle he had purchased while on a Christmas holiday with family in Limpopo at the time, was the property of South Africa’s president.
According to Mustafa, the sale was allegedly handled by Phala Phala farm manager Mr Ndlovu.
The Sudanese football club owner revealed that plans were in place to export the livestock but “the COVID-19 lockdown happened and there was delay after delay after delay.”
“It took too long, so I didn’t get my money back but there is an understanding that I will be refunded,” he said.
The ‘Phala Phala’ farm scandal first came to light when former spy boss and Jacob Zuma’s chief loyalist, Arthur Fraser, filed a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa, claiming the president had stashed more than $4 million in his farm, which was stolen and recovered through the use of abduction and torture and a helping hand from Namibia’s presidency.
Not only has Ramaphosa vehemently denied the claims made by Fraser, but the president also disputed the $4 million figure.
Ramaphosa has yet to address the public about the scandal but according to close sources, the president has every intention of challenging the Section 89 panel report.