Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema has called on African National Congress (ANC) leaders who have pushed for President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down in the media, to rather act where it matters the most in Parliament.
Malema was briefing the media at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg on Monday.
Parliament will sit on Tuesday to vote on the impeachment process against Ramaphosa. This follows the release of the Section 89 panel’s report which found, among other things, that Ramaphosa has a case to answer regarding the Phala-Phala saga.
Malema says his party is unfazed by the National Assembly Speaker’s decision to a request by opposition parties for a secret ballot on the Section 89 report on Tuesday.
“Nkosazana spoke on TV and said Cyril must go, Lindiwe Sisulu spoke on TV and said Cyril must go, Supra spoke and said Cyril must go. Tomorrow, let them go and raise their hands. They must not become peacetime heroes, they were talking on TV. Let the real truth prevail tomorrow. Let’s see if they meant what they were saying on TV.”
As the national assembly prepares to vote on the impeachment process against President Ramaphosa, the EFF leader has welcomed the open ballot and called on ANC members of parliament to mirror the statements they have made in public on the matter.
Speaker Nosiziwe Mapisa-Nqakula earlier turned down the African Transformation Movement’s request for MPs to vote secretly.
However, Mapisa-Nqakula has resolved that the constitutional principle of openness must be upheld with citizens able to know the positions of their representatives across party lines.
VIDEO | EFF holds a press conference to state its position on current political developments:
The party briefed the media following its Central Command Team meeting over the weekend as well as an engagement with the Forum for Opposition Parties which includes all opposition parties minus GOOD and Al Jama-Ah.
In a statement, the Opposition says that it’s agreed that the President should be held accountable and MPs must vote for the impeachment process to commence.
Malema, however, was not sure about the DA.
“Our worry is not the ANC, our worry is the DA, because the DA is pretending, blowing hot and cold, this and that, remember the DA did not submit anything to Section 89 panel and when the report was handed over, Steenhuisen said he is giving an educated guess, how can you give an educated guess when you are not educated.”
The EFF has also threatened court action.
“And if the ANC votes against the panel, we will meet in court …. there is no parliament that is going to reject that panel, we will meet in court.”
