EFF leader Julius Malema. Picture: Timothy Bernard/African News Agency (ANA)
EFF LEADER Julius Malema said on Monday he was confident that some ANC MPs would vote with the opposition in Parliament on Tuesday and set in motion an impeachment committee to investigate whether President Cyril Ramaphosa violated the Constitution.
Malema’s EFF and other opposition parties have joined together as a forum to vote for the establishment of the committee after the Parliament-appointed Section 89 Independent Panel found that there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have violated the Constitution by hoarding a large sum of foreign currency and allegedly trying to cover up the theft.
“The Constitution and rule of law must not be doubted and disrespected because a favourite of the establishment has broken the law. He must be removed as a matter of urgency,” said Malema.
Malema said if Ramaphosa takes the panel report on judicial review, as has been widely reported, then this would be disrespectful to South Africans and the Constitution.
He said it was crucial that Parliament must be physically convened for the impeachment process to avoid a situation where MPs are locked in private venues.
Malema said they were confident that thirty to forty ANC MPs would vote for the establishment of the impeachment committee, despite the process not being held by secret ballot.
“If they (ANC MPs) are for the Constitution, rule of law and not for the man (they must vote with us), let South Africans see tomorrow who is for the individual or for the Constitution. They must say my conscience does not allow me to vote against the establishment of the committee,” said Malema.
He added that MPs should not be intimidated if they vote against party lines as they are protected because they are representatives of the people of South Africa.
“Tomorrow will separate the women from girls and men from boys, especially those who have called for the president to resign, and whether they will repeat it in Parliament.”
A statement issued by the opposition parties forum on Saturday said: “All political parties and all Members of Parliament must vote for the impeachment process to commence because not doing so is not sensible and will not pass the rationality test.
“Voting against the Section 89 Independent Panel’s recommendations will be a violation of Parliament’s constitutional obligation to hold the executive accountable, and previous rulings of the Constitutional Court have condemned Parliament’s lack of oversight and vigilance over the executive.”
The forum included the DA, EFF, IFP, ACDP, UDM, NFP, ATM, AIC and the PAC.