The DA has charged that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s alleged refusal to participate in the much-anticipated Presidential Debates ahead of the May elections is a sign that he is “running scared”.

This comes after the Presidential Debates Coordinator, Dr Bheki Shongwe, wrote to all participants that the live debate would be cancelled after the ruling party did not accept the invitation to participate in the debate, the DA said on Sunday.

“We therefore challenge President Ramaphosa and the ANC to not shy away from the upcoming Presidential Debates and accept the invitation to participate. This would allow the debates to be rescheduled and go ahead.

Eskom crisis, the economy and corruption

“Cyril Ramaphosa is running for re-election as President of the Republic. The least we can expect is for him to debate fellow party leaders on their respective plans to deal with our country’s most pressing challenges – to be moderated by an independent body,” DA leader Mmusi Maimane said in a statement.

Maimane said the debate was necessary for solutions to be found on the Eskom crisis, the economy and corruption as well as the differences in what the ANC and DA have to offer to citizens in terms of policy.

“President Ramaphosa has promised to create a culture of transparency and accountability, and this provides him with a perfect opportunity to break with the past and show South Africans he is different to his predecessor.

“We trust Ramaphosa will come to his senses and reverse his decision not to participate, unless he has something serious to hide from the people of South Africa,” he concluded.

ANC spokesperson Dakota Legoete could not immediately be reached for comment.

This will be published once received. 

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