GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
1 December 2022
While the report of the Independent Panel is not conclusive evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the President, it is a massive setback for his and South Africa’s integrity and progress at a time that the country should be focused on the provision of socio-economic and environmental justice.
Millions of South Africans struggle for survival every day in a nation with the resources and potential to lift them from destitution.
Those who have the privilege to serve the people of South Africa have a responsibility to do so with the socio-economic progress of our citizens as their alpha and omega. As public representatives, they have a responsibility to serve as role-models of integrity.
Many South Africans invested hope in the promise President Ramaphosa offered of a renewed South African state turning its back on a long period of maladministration and corruption that virtually brought the nation to its knees.
The bottom line of the Independent Panel’s report is that the President’s responses to allegations relating to the large amount of cash stolen from his sofa were insufficient to withstand a finding that he has a prima facie case to answer.
While the report concedes that there are several gaps in the evidence, and that the President’s failure to fully deal with all the allegations contributed to its adverse findings, the conclusion that the President may have committed a breach of the Constitution is a punch to the gut that South Africa neither deserves nor should tolerate.
The truth of events at the President’s farm are still to be thoroughly examined, and possibly tested through oral evidence. From the statements he has made, the President clearly believes the allegations against him are defendable in law. But he is not yet on trial.
In the meantime, the alleged events will continue to be weaponised by the President’s enemies inside and outside his party.
Just about the only positive we can find from the whole sorry saga is the Independent Panel’s freedom to have made adverse findings against a seated President, a victory for our constitutional democracy.
We repeat the call we made when the allegations against him were first raised: The President must take the country into his confidence – more plausibly than in the limited responses evidently provided to the Independent Panel.
If he cannot do so, the country risks another lengthy period concentrating on another wounded President instead of delivering the services it should.
South Africa’s continued focus on the internal machinations of the ruling party is massively to its detriment.
Whatever happens next week, when Parliament debates the panel’s report – and the following week when the ruling party convenes its elective conference – for many citizens, Election 2024 cannot come fast enough.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za