Calls grow for Speaker Thoko Didiza to recuse herself from Impeachment Committee

Vuyo Zungula, leader of the African Transformation Movement (ATM), has called for National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to recuse herself from the Impeachment Committee related to the Section 89 Enquiry. Zungula addressed the media before the first sitting of the committee. The committee was established after the Constitutional Court judgment directed Parliament to investigate whether there are valid grounds to recommend President Cyril Ramaphosa’s removal from office.

While it was ultimately Rise Mzansi Chief Whip, Makashule Gana, who was elected to be chairperson of the Impeachment Committee on the Section 89 Enquiry, there were several issues raised by Zungula before the meeting. The parties, except for the ANC, had met to discuss their preferred candidate to chairperson and the possibility of asking Didiza to recuse herself from oversight-related matters, such as deciding on evidence leaders and the committee’s terms of reference. Parties who had attended the meeting included MK Party, DA, UDM, ACDP, EFF, FF Plus, Rise Mzansi, BOSA, ActionSA, ATM and the United Africans Transformation (UAT).

The ATM parliamentary leader said that there were several principles and decisions taken, which included the sentiment that they did want the committee chaired by someone in the ANC “because we view the ANC as having already taken a posture and a decision to protect the president”. “The other issue that we engaged on is that now that the president has litigated, all of the parties that were part of the meeting have agreed that the process must continue only until either an interdict or the report has been set aside by a court of law, which is what that Constitutional Court judgment says,” Zungula said. African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) Vuyo Zungula has said that opposition parties want National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to recuse herself from all matters related to the Impeachment Committee on the Section 89 Enquiry. He said that the other issue they had was with the Speaker, who voted against the processing of the report in 2022, and then following the ConCourt judgment, the Speaker “met with the legal advisors, not only of the ANC, but also of other people, who we view were going to taint the process”.