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Opposition parties call on Parliament to act decisively on Phala Phala issue

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Some opposition parties have warned that Parliament could once again be found wanting if it does not deal with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm burglary.

They say by not acting decisively, Parliament is making the same mistakes it did when it dealt with the Nkandla saga during the Zuma era.

In 2016, the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament’s actions were inconsistent with the Constitution, after the National Assembly resolution to absolve former President Jacob Zuma of liability, following upgrades to his private residence at Nkandla.

Freedom Front Plus MP Corné Mulder says, “Now with the Phala Phala situation, we cannot afford to have a recurrence of that findings that Parliament is not standing up and doing what it is supposed to do. It is really concerning that Parliament is not prepared to learn from the Nkandla judgment.”

Steve Swart from the ACDP also weighed in on the Phala Phala matter saying, “The ACDP is concerned that Parliament might be going the same route with inadequate oversight over President Ramaphosa, as was the case with the Nkandla scandal.”

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa gave his response to the 31 questions that were sent to him by the Office of the Public Protector regarding the burglary at his Phala Phala farm. This follows a subpoena threat by the Chapter Nine institution.

Ramaphosa was expected to comply with the request by last week Monday, having missed an earlier deadline in June, but failed to do so.

VIDEO | Ramaphosa responds to acting PP on Phala Phala farm saga:

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