DA leader John Steenhausen said President Cyril Ramaphosa's national address on Sunday was being used by the ANC for election campaigning. (Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)
- The DA is suing President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Electoral Tribunal for breaching the electoral code of conduct.
- The DA said President Ramaphosa's national address on Sunday was being used to campaign for the ANC.
- Find out everything you need to know about the 2024 general election in News24's election hub.
Prosecutors have summoned President Cyril Ramaphosa to the Electoral Tribunal, accusing him of abusing his power for political gain by delivering a “nation-wide address” to the public via the SABC.
Opposition parties have slammed President Ramaphosa's address to the nation on Sunday night, after prosecutors said he breached the electoral code of conduct by “misusing the country's highest office to engage in blatant electioneering.”
In his speech, President Ramaphosa detailed the developments under his sixth administration, and the EFF is calling for an investigation into the “misuse” of the SABC by his office to prevent it from being repeated in the future.
While Ramaphosa also spoke about the importance of Wednesday's elections and other security issues, the bulk of his speech was about his government's success.
These included responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and tackling corruption and gender-based violence.
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The passing of the National Health Insurance Bill was also one of President Ramaphosa's main talking points.
However, DA leader John Steenhausen has filed a lawsuit in the Electoral Tribunal alleging breaches of electoral law and is grilling President Ramaphosa over the issue.
In a statement, he said the electoral code of conduct contained in the Electoral Act clearly states that no one may abuse parental, patriarchal, traditional, employment or other authority, privilege or influence to influence the conduct or outcome of an election.
“Ramaphosa’s manipulation was cynical, calculated and designed to influence the election outcome by giving the ANC unfair airtime. [that was] It will not be offered to other political parties contesting the election.
“This is not the first time President Ramaphosa has chosen a corrupt party over South Africa. As president, he should know better and must be held to account. No one will be tolerated for this kind of misconduct,” Steenhausen said.
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Steenhausen said Ramaphosa's “desecration” of his job showed he was in a state of panic.
“Because he finally understands that the people are ready to hold the ANC to account for the corruption, misgovernance and suffering it has inflicted on South Africans. The DA therefore calls on voters to turn out at the polls to end the ANC's impunity and the abuse of democracy for narrow personal and political gain,” he said.
Steenhausen added that President Ramaphosa had “clearly demonstrated that the ANC is prepared to undermine our constitutional democracy in order to cling to power”.
“This should serve as an urgent warning to all democratic institutions, including the IEC. If President Ramaphosa was willing to abuse the power of his office for narrow political gain even before the ANC lost its majority, what else is he going to do to subvert the will of the people and hang on to power after voters stripped the ANC of its majority on Wednesday?”
“If voters needed further confirmation that the ANC's lust for power and corruption is an imminent threat to the values on which our constitutional democracy is based, President Ramaphosa provided it last night,” he said.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Mugwenya told News24 the criticism was unfounded as Ramaphosa's speech was an authoritative account of the work done during the sixth administration.
“The President was therefore accountable to the people as he concluded his sixth term in office. Secondly, he had a responsibility to South Africans to ensure that this election was free, fair and, more importantly, secure. That responsibility can only be met by a sitting head of state,” Mugwenya said.
I call on all South Africans to vote. We are a diverse but united nation. Let us be united in our commitment to democracy. https://t.co/pvpzRIsIJk
— Cyril Ramaphosa ???? (@CyrilRamaphosa) May 26, 2024
He also insisted that President Ramaphosa did not mention the ruling party in his speech or criticise other parties.
“Indeed, the President commended all political parties for conducting their election campaigns peacefully and thanked all MPs for the work they have done in the final days of their term. Finally, the President paid tribute to all South Africans who worked alongside the government during difficult times the country was going through, including the COVID-19 pandemic, floods in KwaZulu-Natal and other parts of the country and the violence of 2021,” he said.
According to Mugwenya, the speech was not about electioneering.
“The President rightly became the president of all South Africans with this speech,” he said.
The EFF has also expressed concern, accusing President Ramaphosa of using the SABC for political gain, accusing the party of “taking over the national broadcaster for partisan purposes”.
“There is clearly fear within the ANC camp that defeat is imminent and they are resorting to desperate measures to stay in power,” the EFF said in a statement.
“The unscheduled speech was a blatant abuse of presidential power and national resources, designed to advance the interests of the ANC rather than serve the South African people.”