JOHANNESBURG - African National Congress (ANC) veteran Mathews Phosa says President Cyril Ramaphosa is right not to resign.
"The Constitutional Court did not find that he did anything wrong," he says.
Instead, the court set aside the National Assembly’s vote on the Phala Phala matter.
Phosa clarified that the court did not make factual findings against Ramaphosa.
READ: Didiza announces steps to enforce Phala Phala Constitutional Court ruling
In an address on Monday, the president said he would not resign and instead plans to take the Phala Phala report on review.
According to Phosa, the review process is a positive step as it could bring South Africans closer to the truth about what happened in February 2020, when the robbery allegedly took place.
Former spy boss Arthur Fraser opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa in June 2022 after US dollars were allegedly stolen from a couch at the president’s Phala Phala farm.
Fraser alleged that Ramaphosa abused his power by failing to report the robbery to police.
READ: Ramaphosa's future in limbo after Phala Phala ConCourt ruling
An independent panel later investigated the incident and submitted its findings to Parliament. The ANC, which held a parliamentary majority at the time, voted against the adoption of the report.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and African Transformation Movement (ATM) then took the matter to court.
The Constitutional Court subsequently found the National Assembly’s vote unconstitutional. National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has since announced steps to implement the ConCourt’s ruling on the Phala Phala matter.
"A review will help us understand what happened at Phala Phala," says Phosa.
READ: Here’s Parliament's next step after Phala Phala judgment
"The dollars being stolen in the couch is a police matter," he adds.
Phosa says South Africa, as a constitutional democracy governed by the rule of law, must allow the review process to unfold.
"We need to hear the other side and the President's side is the other side," he adds.
READ: Ramaphosa to address nation on Phala Phala ConCourt judgment
Phosa also warned against attempts to destabilise the country and called for calm.
He acknowledged that the matter has caused reputational damage to the ANC ahead of the elections but said the party would need to weather the storm.