Ramaphosa’s secrecy battle heads to court

PHALA PHALA SCANDAL

- KAMOGELO MOICHELA

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala scandal is refusing to remain locked away in the political closet, resurfacing yet again as ActionSA prepares a legal challenge that could force fresh scrutiny of events the state has tried to seal off from public view.

Ina statement yesterday, ActionSA National Chairperson, Michael Beaumont, said they had begun preparing legal papers to challenge the Independent Police Investigating Directorate’s (IPID) decision to classify its investigation report as “Top Secret”.

The party’s action follows an appeal lodged last month, which IPID failed to respond to.

ActionSA said the silence forms part ofa broader pattern of obstruction that has marked its efforts since April last year to obtain the report.

Those efforts were repeatedly delayed, including explanations from IPID that its email systems were down.