Thabo Mbeki

Phala Phala: The former president says the ANC use of its parliamentary majority to railroad investigations by the legislature is unconstitutional.

In July last year, Mbeki was scathing of the ANC for failing on poverty alleviation and reducing inequality, saying that the party risked its own Arab spring if it did not address these burning issues. He used voting figures showing that the ANC’s margin of victory had declined precipitously from 2004 to the last local government election in 2021. The most quoted line is, “The ANC may not stand alone in the dock, but it does stand as accused number one.” He says that in nine months since former spy boss Arthur Fraser laid the Phala Phala charges at the Rosebank police station, “none of the questions has been answered. In October last year, he warned the ANC that it had to prepare for a fallout over the The recent report by SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter that no record of the declaration to Customs has been found of the $580,0000 deepens the puzzle about what exactly happened at Phala Phala farm.” “The way we (the ANC) voted on 13 December 2022 to block the process of the formation of an MPC [multi-party committee] communicated the unequivocal statement to the masses of the people that we do not want Parliament to seek and gain a deeper and comprehensive understanding of the Phala Phala matter.”

Johannesburg - Former ANC and South African President Thabo Mbeki has once again thrown the cat among the pigeons in a letter he wrote to the governing ...

It is equally without doubt that any wrong position we take with regard to the Phala Phala matter will also in equal measure or more, impact negatively on the standing of the ANC with many among the masses of our people!” Mbeki wrote to Mashatile. Without doubt, the wrong positions we took with regard to the Nkandla matter, impacted negatively on the standing of the ANC with many among the masses of our people. [Phala Phala scandal](https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/mbeki-says-public-protector-report-on-phala-phala-not-final-didnt-clear-ramaphosa-f7cdf0a2-6601-41a5-bab0-8a3655e8d09f) that has consumed the party and President Cyril Ramaphosa for almost a year. “What should have followed this is that the National Assembly would have appointed a Multi-Party Committee (MPC) precisely to investigate the matter of whether the Comrade President did indeed have a case to answer! “As you know, the 3-person Panel appointed by Parliament concerning the Phala Phala matter decided that the Comrade President 'had a case to answer' with regard to a process of impeachment. “In this context, consistent with what Comrade President Ramaphosa said in the Open Letter I have cited, we must be honest with ourselves and understand that many among the masses of our people will entertain the suspicion that the Phala Phala matter includes corruption.

Dear Comrade Deputy President,. Re: National Assembly Votes et al. I address this specific letter to you recalling the position taken by Comrade President ...

"The African National Congress on the basis of its Programme of Action will strive to attain the ideals enshrined in the Freedom Charter with a fu/1 sense of responsibility to the African people and their aspirations. The Court ruled that this was invalid as it was "inconsistent with (the National Assembly) obligations to scrutinise and oversee executive action and to maintain oversight of the exercise of executive powers by the President. The African National Congress will carry on the programme of African liberation and freedom for all to the best of its ability, praying as it works: "HELP US GOD. As you know, the 2017 54th National Conference said this renewal was "an absolute and urgent priority", for"the survival of our qreat movement". These fights among comrades turn the interest of our people off, and push them away from the movement..." Here the majority Party had voted to absolve the President, which became the resolution of the National Assembly. "The National Assembly, and by extension Parliament, is the embodiment of the centuries-old dreams and /egitimate aspirations of all our people. "Ever attempt to have Parliament conduct its Constitutional obligations have been blocked by your Party, rendering Parliament toothless because of the ANC's majority and commitment to shielding the President. "lt also bears the responsibility to play an oversight rote over the Executive and State organs and ensure that constitutional and statutory obligations are properly executed. We have to be sensitive to the concerns that are being raised by our people about our rote as a movement in corrupt activities... The final constitution, supplemented where necessary by national leqislation, shou/d provide for the principles and appropriate/effective mechanisms of participatory democracy, as we/1 as for organs of civil society' .. lt also includes facilitating the creation of a strong, independent civil society, a high degree of accountability, transparency and the right to participate in decision-making processes which affect communities between elections...

The ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, says the party will engage former president Thabo Mbeki and listen to his concerns.