RAMAPHOSA TO DETRACTORS: “WE ARE NOT DISTRACTED.” PRESIDENT CALLS PHALA PHALA ATTACKS “ELECTORAL POSTURING” AS HE DOUBLES DOWN ON WORK, NOT NOISE*
- Mpho Dube
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact
CAPE TOWN | 4 June 2026 — While opposition benches shouted, President Cyril Ramaphosa answered with steel.
In a robust Presidency Budget Vote reply Wednesday, he dismissed what he called “political theatre or electoral posturing” over Phala Phala and told Parliament: The work of transforming South Africa will not be derailed by noise.
The President’s message was surgical and unapologetic. As MPs hammered him on unemployment, service delivery, corruption, crime and the Phala Phala farm robbery, Ramaphosa refused the bait. He chose governance over grandstanding. Results over rhetoric.
Addressing a tense National Assembly, Ramaphosa acknowledged the heat but rejected the distraction.
“South Africans expect of all of us not simply to diagnose the country’s problems, but to work together to solve them. They expect leadership, accountability and results. It is with that responsibility firmly in mind that the Presidency approaches its work every day.”
Then the line in the sand:
“We are not distracted by the clamour of some political parties for attention. We are not distracted by political theatre or electoral posturing. We will not be sidetracked by narrow agendas that have nothing to do with the needs, interests and concerns of the people of South Africa.”
Ramaphosa directly addressed the Section 89 impeachment process triggered by the Phala Phala matter — $580,000 allegedly stolen from a sofa on his Limpopo farm in February 2020. The inquiry, chaired by Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana, is set to test the President.
His response was firm and constitutional: “My approach to this matter is guided – as it has always been – by the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law. Democratic institutions must be allowed to perform their work without interference or intimidation. I will continue to uphold the principles and safeguard the integrity of my office. I will respect the work and authority of Parliament and abide by the rulings of our courts.”
He confirmed he has approached the Western Cape High Court to challenge parts of the 2022 Ngcobo panel report that found prima facie evidence of serious misconduct. But he insisted: courts, not chaos, will settle it.
Ramaphosa refused to let Phala Phala consume the Presidency’s mandate. He pivoted hard to the Presidency’s core mission: The Presidency is “resolutely focused on growing an inclusive economy and creating jobs”. Economic growth, he said, is not abstract. “It is about whether a young person can find work. It is about whether a small business can expand. It is about whether investors have confidence to build factories, establish enterprises and create opportunities.”
He framed the Presidency’s role clearly: not to replace departments, but to ensure coherence, drive implementation, remove obstacles, and translate national priorities into measurable outcomes.
“In a complex and rapidly changing world, the centre of government must have both the capability and the authority to coordinate national efforts around growth, jobs, service delivery and social development.”
Tuesday’s debate saw opposition MPs demand answers on Phala Phala, unemployment, sanitation, corruption and crime. MK Party’s Andile Mngxitama turned his speech into allegations and points of order. The MK Party also questioned Gana’s independence, calling Rise Mzansi “a project of the ANC”.
Ramaphosa heard it all. Then he answered with focus. The Presidency, he said, is being rebuilt as an institution with “resources, capability and intent to provide strategic direction and coordination”. The goal: a Presidency capable of driving transformation across society.
This was not deflection. This was definition. Ramaphosa’s strongest move Wednesday was refusing to fight on the opposition’s terms. He did not dodge Phala Phala — he constitutionalised it. He did not ignore criticism — he contextualised it as “electoral posturing”. Then he walked back to work.
Strong leadership isn’t shouting back at every heckle. It’s keeping your eyes on jobs while courts handle allegations. It’s protecting institutions while you rebuild them. It’s saying: Judge me on results, not rumour.
The Section 89 committee will do its work. Parliament will do its oversight. The courts will rule.
And the Presidency, Ramaphosa vowed, “will not allow anything to slow the momentum of growth and transformation that, with each passing day, is gaining more and more pace”.
Phala Phala will be tested. South Africa will be watching.
But the President made one thing clear: the country’s future will not be held hostage by its past.
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