ANC welcomes Public Protector’s Phala Phala report

ANC National Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula, says the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) views the attacks against the Acting Public Protector as undermining democracy and constitutionalism.

Mbalula made the remarks at a briefing on the outcomes of the NWC meeting at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka came under fire on Friday after releasing the much-anticipated report on allegations of misconduct by Ramaphosa.

Gcaleka cleared the President of any wrongdoing in relation to the multi-million dollar theft that took place at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in 2020.

The Public Protector found that there was no evidence indicating that the President either works at Phala Phala farm or receives remuneration from the farm.

Opposition parties have raised their dissatisfaction with Public Protector’s report and have threatened to take it to court for review.

Mbalula says the ANC has welcomed the report and reiterated its support for the Office of the Public Protector.

“The ANC re-iterates that it is only opportunists who seek to abuse the provision of the Executive Ethics Code, to suggest the President violated the provisions therein.”

N1 assault by Paul Mahsatile’s protectors

Mbalula also reacted to the latest assault of three SANDF trainees on the N1 by Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s protection detail.

He says such incidents put a serious blight on the police service as a whole.

“This was not only cowardly but runs against the grain of what the SAPS must stand for which is to protect all members of society.”

The ANC has urged IPID to investigate this matter, and that the alleged perpetrators of this violence be immediately suspended.