Thabo Mbeki Says Phala Phala Saga Is Cyril Ramaphosa’s Private Matter Not ANC’s

Former president Thabo Mbeki says the Phala Phala controversy involving President Cyril Ramaphosa should be treated as a private matter and not an issue for the ANC.

Mbeki made the remarks after the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled earlier this month that Parliament must reconsider the Section 89 panel report linked to the Phala Phala scandal. The decision reopened the path for possible impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa.

The case was brought before the apex court by the Economic Freedom Fighters and the African Transformation Movement after Parliament voted against adopting the independent panel’s findings.

Phala Phala Scandal Returns To Parliament After ConCourt Ruling

The Section 89 panel found there was prima facie evidence suggesting Ramaphosa had questions to answer regarding the theft of about $580 000 from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020.

The money was allegedly linked to the sale of 20 buffalo to Sudanese businessman Hazim Mustafa. Mustafa reportedly paid the cash amount during a visit to South Africa.

Ramaphosa has since moved to revive a judicial review of the panel’s report. The EFF has criticised the move, accusing the president of using legal avenues to avoid accountability.

Thabo Mbeki Defends Ramaphosa Over Phala Phala Matter

Mbeki said Ramaphosa had every right to challenge the findings through the courts. He insisted the matter related to Ramaphosa’s personal business interests and not the ANC.

“President Ramaphosa was correct, this is a private matter between a businessman who’s a farmer and whoever comes and buys and sells from him on his farms.

“It’s a private matter. It’s not an ANC matter. He’s not trading as an ANC businessman, it’s his own matter, and he’s taken a decision, and I support him. He says the law allows me to challenge this thing. I said, ‘Please go ahead, it’s perfectly okay,’” Mbeki said.

Mbeki also said the Constitutional Court acted correctly in overturning Parliament’s earlier decision not to proceed with the impeachment-related process.

Mbeki Criticises ANC Handling Of Phala Phala Report

The former president revealed that he had previously warned ANC leaders that Parliament made the wrong decision when it blocked the Section 89 process.

“I had written to the leader of government business, after they took a wrong decision, in my view, in parliament, when they decided not to allow the process from that panel, which was led by Chief Justice Ngcobo, to allow the process to go to this committee,” Mbeki said.

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“They used the ANC majority to do a wrong thing. What the Constitutional Court has done is agreed with what I said two years ago.”

Mbeki has publicly questioned the ANC’s handling of the matter since 2022. In 2023, he wrote to ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile, criticising the party’s decision to use its majority in Parliament to block the adoption of the Section 89 panel report.