Mashatile insists ‘no one above the law’ in Phala Phala Scandal

Cape Town – Deputy President Paul Mashatile has defended President Cyril Ramaphosa over the ongoing Phala Phala controversy, saying the president has committed to Parliament’s processes and will not avoid accountability.

Speaking in the National Assembly on Thursday, Mashatile said no one is above the law, including the president, ministers and MPs, and stressed that all public representatives must comply with disclosure rules on gifts and assets.

“Nobody is above the law. Not the president, not the deputy president, not ministers, not members of Parliament, all of us, abide by the law,” Mashatile said.

He said Ramaphosa should be commended for allowing Parliament to handle the Phala Phala matter, which relates to the theft of foreign currency from the president’s farm and is now subject to an impeachment inquiry process.

Mashatile also pointed to his own disciplinary history, saying he accepted Parliament’s censure after failing to declare a diamond gift linked to controversial businessman Louis Liebenberg.