SAFTU notes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that he will not resign as President of the Republic of South Africa and that he intends to take the Section 89 Panel Report on judicial review.
SAFTU recognises that the Constitution gives every person, including the President, the right to approach the courts when they believe they have been wrongly accused or that a process has been legally flawed. As a law-abiding federation committed to constitutionalism, SAFTU respects the President’s constitutional right to challenge the findings of the Panel.
However, SAFTU remains firmly of the view that the correct political route should have been for the President to resign. The allegations against him, now supported by prima facie findings of the independent panel, seriously compromise his moral and political standing to lead.
A President carrying such serious allegations cannot credibly lead the fight against corruption, nor act decisively against ministers and senior officials facing allegations of wrongdoing. This weakens the authority of the Presidency and emboldens impunity across government, deepening the crisis of public trust.
SAFTU is also concerned that the President’s decision to seek judicial review may have the practical effect of placing the parliamentary impeachment process in abeyance, delaying accountability at a moment when the country needs clarity and decisive leadership.
SAFTU therefore reiterates: while we respect the President’s legal rights, we believe the interests of the country, the integrity of public office, and the fight against corruption would have been better served by his resignation.
