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Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza addressing the house.
National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza has rejected allegations of bias in the Section 89 impeachment process against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This after African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) Parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula called for Didiza to recuse herself from the process.
Zungula claims that Didiza had met with the President’s lawyers after the Constitutional Court’s ruling relating to the Phala Phala matter and is therefore incapable of acting impartially in her capacity as Speaker.
In a statement, Parliament called the claims false and said they were based on tabloid reports.
ATM National spokesperson, Zama Ntshona says, “At a particular point when she had to take a principled stance on whether the impeachment inquiry must go ahead or not, she took a stance that voted against the continuation of impeachment.”
“So the issue meeting the legal team of the President and other matters that are widely reported become just a leg on a bigger issue that actually shows her bias towards the President.”
VIDEO | ATM pushes for Section 89 review application to be heard by August
Meanwhile, ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli has slammed the ATM’s call for the recusal of Didiza from the impeachment process.
Ntuli says, “No, there’s no doubt in my mind as the Chief Whip of the ANC that the Speaker is beyond reproach. She hasn’t done anything wrong. And the Speaker is my colleague in the national executive committee of the ANC and the national working committee.”
“Every Monday, we go to Luthuli House as and when there is a meeting of the NWC. So, this claim that she was in some conspiring meeting with the President and his lawyers is unfounded. It’s ATM that is trying to be relevant by raising things that are devoid of any truth.”
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