Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has revived calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to be impeached, telling supporters that Parliament must revive the Phala Phala report and force the president to answer for the scandal.
Malema made the demand after leading a march from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown through Johannesburg to the Constitutional Court. The party was marching to demand the immediate release of the long‑delayed judgment in the Phala Phala case.
Malema accused Ramaphosa of breaking the country’s laws by keeping US dollars in South Africa instead of using the rand. He said the president’s explanation that he hid the money in a sofa because the safe was “not safe” did not make sense.
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The President and Commander in Chief @Julius_S_Malema addressing fighters outside the Constitutional Court.
We will not allow judiciary to be above the law, we will not allow them to act as if they’re not touchable. We must show them, including the judges and… pic.twitter.com/RM0LOQdr38
“Everybody has agreed, including Ramaphosa. He said there were dollars in Phala Phala. And he said he put the dollars in the sofa because the safe was not safe,” Malema said.
“How can the safe not be safe? Because the job of the safe is to be safe. How can the sofa be safer than the safe itself? So, fighters, how did the dollars find themselves inside South Africa? So many millions of dollars found their way here. We are told they were buying buffalo”.
He also called for Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi to be held accountable, saying she had failed to act on the matter despite the evidence.
“Shamila Batohi must also be arrested for defeating the ends of justice. How can Batohi not arrest Ramaphosa after Ramaphosa accepted that he used dollars? In South Africa, there is only one currency that can be used to trade. Once you enter South Africa, it doesn’t matter who you are. You use the rent. You don’t use dollars”.
Members of the EFF march to the Constitutional Court demanding a release of the Phala Phala judgment.
“If we pass a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa, he’s going to get his salary for the rest of his life. But if we impeach him, impeachment means he gets removed as the president, and he loses all the benefits, including the salary. That is what we want,” Malema said.
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