CAPE TOWN - Despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s application to have the Phala Phala report reviewed, the Democratic Alliance says Parliament still has a job to do.
"The President has this legal remedy at his disposal, and he is entitled to do so," says George Michalakis.
"But we also have a job to do with regards to the Constitutional Court, which we should get on with doing," he says.
Ramaphosa has lodged a 63-page application with the Western Cape High Court, arguing there were flaws in the report’s findings.
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The report was submitted to then Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula by the Section 89 Independent Panel, led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo.
Ramaphosa argues the panel misunderstood its mandate in at least four respects.
These include misconstruing the nature of the enquiry it was meant to conduct. He also argues that the panel drew conclusions based on hearsay and had no evidence beyond his own account.
He further suggests the panel may have unlawfully obtained a confidential Namibian police report and an audio recording.
In this regard, he points to Arthur Fraser, who initially exposed the alleged theft at the President’s farm.
Ramaphosa says Fraser’s claims are based on speculation, fiction and conjecture.