ActionSA has opened a criminal case against President Cyril Ramaphosa in connection with the Phala Phala matter. The party laid the charges at the Bela-Bela Police Station in Limpopo.
The party claims the amount stolen from the President’s farm in February 2020 exceeded the $580,000 (approximately R10 million) previously disclosed by Ramaphosa to Parliament’s independent panel. ActionSA says new information indicates a significantly higher sum was involved.
The move follows last week’s Constitutional Court ruling, which found that Parliament acted inconsistently with the Constitution when it declined to adopt the Section 89 panel report and failed to refer the matter to an impeachment committee.
ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont criticised the President’s handling of the matter. “I think the president has misled this country from day one in respect of Phala Phala. I don’t think a word of truth has come out of his mouth in respect to this issue,” he said. Beaumont added that the President lacks credibility on the rule of law, noting recent lectures on the subject from a leader who “keeps millions of rands and foreign currency stored in his furniture.”
He argued that South Africa’s battle against lawlessness and corruption cannot succeed if the President avoids accountability. “He has dodged accountability at every turn and now the chickens have come home to roost in a parliament where he no longer has a majority that can protect him,” Beaumont stated.
ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip Lerato Ngobeni, who will serve on the impeachment committee, emphasised the party’s consistent stance. “ActionSA is an opposition. We are leading the way in this matter and to demonstrate consistency. We have been combating the issue of Phala Phala since 2021,” she said. Ngobeni assured that the party would maintain its commitment to accountability.
Party supporters gathered outside the police station, calling for transparency and ethical leadership. One supporter stated: “When you have a person in the position of the president breaking the law, it becomes very questionable… As we speak now South Africa is a crime scene. So if our number one is also one of those criminals [in] corruption in our country, he must take accountability.”
ActionSA said it will continue pursuing the matter through legal channels. President Ramaphosa has indicated he will take the Constitutional Court ruling under review.
