Mngxitama grills Ramaphosa over US dollars, Marikana and alleged cover-ups in fiery budget debate

MK Party MP Andile MngxitamaCyril Ramaphosa for explanations about the foreign currency found at the Phala Phala farm and to renew allegations related to Marikana and a series of deaths he linked to political wrongdoing.

Direct questions on Phala Phala and US dollars

Speaking in the National Assembly, Mngxitama demanded that Ramaphosa explain “how American dollars arrived in the country”. He posed the question rhetorically:

“Did they come through OR Tambo International Airport or did they jump the Limpopo River on the back of a crocodile?”

The remarks came as Parliament prepared for a Section 89 impeachment inquiry into matters connected with the theft of $580,000 allegedly hidden in a sofa at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in February 2020. Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana has been elected chairperson of the impeachment committee.

Allegations of bribery, cover-ups and judicial protection

Mngxitama accused Ramaphosa of hiding behind the courts and called on him to resign, saying:

“Mr Ramaphosa, you can no longer hide behind the courts instead of serving the people. You can do the simple thing by resigning. You are hiding behind the law while being a constitutional delinquent.”

He alleged financial backing from what he called the “Stellenbosch mafia” and claimed the same funders had given Ramaphosa R1 billion and were also funders of the chairperson of the impeachment committee. When ANC MP Kenny Morolong raised a point of order about an allegation that the President had received a R1 billion bribe, House chairperson Cedric Frolick ruled the statement unparliamentary and instructed Mngxitama to withdraw it; he complied.

Marikana, deaths and points of order

Turning to the 2012 Marikana tragedy, Mngxitama said:

“Those workers died because they wanted nothing but a living wage. They wanted education for their children. There were no criminals. You called the police on them and they were massacred.”

ANC MP Cameron Dugmore raised a point of order, saying Mngxitama was casting aspersions on the President despite the findings of the Marikana Commission of Inquiry, which the source reports made no adverse findings against Ramaphosa. The chairperson said he would seek guidance from parliamentary staff before issuing a considered ruling.

Mngxitama later withdrew another remark after Frolick ruled that his suggestion that Ramaphosa’s “hands were dripping in blood” violated parliamentary Rule 85.

Questions about linked deaths

Mngxitama named several deaths he said were connected to allegations around Ramaphosa, including that of attorney Eugene Farber, who died in August 2019, and former Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson, who died in a car crash near OR Tambo International Airport in August 2019. He also referred to the death of former Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Sandile Mfazi, who died in 2021; the source reports the official explanation at the time was that he died from Covid-19-related complications.

He asked:

“What happened to your CR17 alleged money laundering lawyer, Eugene Farber, who allegedly died in his sleep? Farber’s law firm allegedly received the Bosasa R500,000 on your behalf.”

Parliamentary procedure and final warnings

ANC MP Jim Skosana raised a point of order under Rule 90, arguing that Mngxitama was discussing a matter that would soon come before the impeachment committee. The chairperson rejected the objection, saying the rule of anticipation did not apply because the committee had not yet begun its deliberations and the matter was not before the House.

During his speech Mngxitama urged South Africans to support a petition called Justice for Mfazi and concluded by predicting the President would not survive the impeachment inquiry:

“Mr Ramaphosa, you will not survive the impeachment committee. There is no safety in the so-called GNU numbers. The GNU will not provide protection. It will be you standing alone before the committee, answering for the wrongdoings committed in your name.”

The speech was repeatedly interrupted by multiple points of order as MPs raised objections to allegations and parliamentary rule breaches while Frolick managed rulings and withdrawals during the debate.