President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is making progress in tackling graft in some state owned entities.
He was speaking during a heated two-day debate on his State of the Nation Address in Parliament, Cape Town.
He said government is making progress in tackling graft in some state owned entities.
“Some of these many be taking time but we are coming from a very black…black….Situation which we are sowing up and building up all the time and we are not sleeping on the job that is what progress looks like where some are determined to sow divisions we are unifying our country against corruption.”
The President was lambasted by opposition parties during the debate.
Ramphosa also faced a barrage of questions from journalists about whether or not he would endorse the recommendations by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) when he announced the next chief justice.
Some opposition parties wasted no time and criticised Ramaphosa and his administration.
“Because you have shown that you are a President of talk and not a president of action we are going to make it easier for you I have tabled a motion of no confidence not in you but in your whole cabinet in terms of Section 162 (1),” says Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen.
“Mr President you must admit that under your leadership South Africa is in a worse condition than it has ever been you are currently the worst president to have ever occupied that position and worst president president that has ever occurred to black people and we are not surprised that black people are getting poorer,” Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) Julius Malema added.
In his reply, the President focused on what he said were meaningful contributions.
“We’ve heard many valuable contribution on how we may move effectively address the many challenges that confront country right now but we also heard a lot of vitriol. We also heard a lot of attacks. There is no need to respond to insults because insults don’t contribute to a meaningful debate about the challenges facing our country”
Leaked recording
In what appeared to be a political victory for the President, SCOPA finally resolved not to call him to appear before it to clarify his remarks in a leaked recording that public funds were used in internal ANC campaigns.
This comes after ANC MPs in the committee outvoted the opposition’s call by six votes to four. Ramaphosa had earlier indicated his willingness to appear before SCOPA, if called.
In another favourable development for the President, the National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula rejected a call by the African Transformation Movement (ATM) – for the proposed motion of no-confidence in Ramaphosa to be conducted by secret ballot.
Parly Wrap | President Cyril Ramaphosa under spotlight in Parliament
