Cape Town - Members of Parliament have until Thursday to submit information to the three-member panel probing whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer in the Phala Phala farm scandal.
Ramaphosa will in turn respond to the information received from October 28 until November 6.
The panel will consider all information received, conduct any additional research required, deliberate on the facts, write and finalise its report between November 7 until November 17.
This is according to the timeline of the activities of the panel of experts which started its work last Wednesday.
The panel said any MP was afforded an opportunity to submit relevant written or recorded information within the time frame.
“The information must be submitted to the Office of the Independent Panel within six days of the publication of this notice in the ATC (Announcements, Tablings and Committee reports),” the panel said in a notice published on Friday.
It said MPs should submit an electronic version of the submission plus five hard copies of the submission must be delivered to the office of the Independent Panel.
“A submission must be accompanied by all materials, such as cases law, academic works and statutes referred to in the submission.
“Where reliance is placed on recorded materials, the submission must be accompanied by a transcription of the recorded material, duly certified as a true and correct transcription of the recorded material.”
The panel warned that non-compliance with the time frame would negatively affect the timelines for the delivery of the report to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
“Late submissions will not be accepted without prior written consent of the chairperson obtained before the expiry of the six-day period.”
The panel, which has 30 days to report, was formed after the ATM submitted a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa after Arthur Fraser lifted the lid on the theft when he laid a charge in the Rosebank police station in June.
In an explosive affidavit, Fraser said Ramaphosa kept foreign currency concealed in his furniture at his Phala Phala farm as prima facie proof of money laundering.
It has been claimed that about R62 million was stolen and people were paid to keep quiet about the matter.
Ramaphosa has confirmed the incident but claimed the amount involved was far less.
He claimed to have reported the incident to the head of the presidential protection unit and that he was not involved in criminal conduct.
ATM leader Vuyo Zungula submitted a motion in terms of Section 89 and National Assembly rules to remove Ramaphosa from office on June 14.
“The motion was subsequently revised and resubmitted on July 18 and deemed compliant with the rules,” read the report.
The National Assembly rules provide that when the motion was in order, the motion and any supporting documentation to the independent panel established for the purposes of considering preliminary Section 89 matters.
Mapisa-Nqakula initially appointed former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, former of the Gauteng High Court Division Judge Thokozile Masipa and UCT public law professor Richard Calland on the panel.
But, following objections from the DA and EFF, Calland was withdrawn from the panel and replaced by advocate Mahlape Sello.
Cape Times