ActionSA has announced that it will pressure President Cyril Ramaphosa during his upcoming appearance in Parliament to demand accountability from Justice Minister Thembi Simelane. The party held a briefing to discuss its performance in the first 100 days as one of the new entrants in the 7th Parliament. Although ActionSA won fewer seats than expected in the May general elections, it still has more seats compared to some parties that have been in Parliament for years. The party intends to use President Cyril Ramaphosa’s oral question session on Thursday to inquire about Justice Minister Thembi Simelane and her involvement in the VBS loan scandal.
“We will have an opportunity to address all the issues, correspondence, and comments we have made, as well as the charges we have brought to the public protector and the speaker. We will raise all these issues and highlight the fact that there has been complete silence from all the people involved in this matter,” stated Athol Trollip, Parliamentary Leader of ActionSA.
The party also says it’s not going to let the Phala Phala farm scandal rest because it believes that there is a prima facie case, despite the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) saying it won’t prosecute.
“If you or I were found with 580 dollars in our couch, we would have to answer in a court of law because that is a criminal offence in itself. Where the money came from, that’s another matter; where the money went to that’s another matter; and how they get it back that’s another matter. There’s contravention of the foreign exchange matter and the president must account for that,” Trollip adds.
Regarding recent developments in the City of Tshwane, the party says it is about protecting itself. “We are now completely independent. The voters out there are aware that ActionSA is actually a totally independent political party. It’s not aligned with any other party. We will always act in the interest of the people of SA and protect our own political party,” says ActionSA Leader Herman Mashaba.
The party also says it has written to Parliament’s Joint Constitutional Review Committee, calling for reforms to bar compromised people from becoming members of Parliament.
