South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the President is committed to complying with any investigation into the incident of theft at his Phala Phala farm in February 2020.
Allegations of possible criminality on the President’s part have been swirling in the media and public discourse since last week after former Correctional Services Commissioner, Arthur Fraser, released a media statement that he had laid criminal charges against the President.
Fraser alleges that at least $4 million had been stolen from the President’s farm, with the President “concealing the crime” from police and the SA Revenue Service, and “thereafter paid the culprits for their silence” claims that have already been dismissed by the Presidency.
Ramaphosa has told the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) that he intends to appear before the integrity commission over allegations that he covered up a robbery at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
Top officials, including national chair Gwede Mantashe, treasurer-general and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile and co-ordinator in the SGO Gwen Ramokgopa were taken to task for not treating the matter with urgency.
Former state security boss Arthur Fraser last week laid a criminal charge against Ramaphosa for breaching the Prevention of Organised Crime Act by allegedly not reporting the robbery when it took place in 2020.
Ramaphosa was defended by Mantashe, who had an intense back-and-forth with tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu as she questioned why they did not bring the report to the meeting.
Sisulu kept questioning where the report, which was expected to make recommendations on what should happen to Ramaphosa, was, but Mantashe cut her off, saying there was no report.
Meanwhile, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa wants parliament to investigate allegations that President Cyril Ramaphosa may be complicit in alleged criminality after the theft of millions of dollars at his Phala Phala farm in 2020. He suggested the president should go on sabbatical leave during that time.
Holomisa has written to National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula suggesting that parliament should appoint two or three retired judges to conduct a preliminary investigation into former State Security Agency (SSA) boss Arthur Fraser’s allegations that Ramaphosa had not reported the crime to the police and had sought to cover-up the matter.
“These allegations have been greatly destructive of the country’s image, both at home and abroad, and are likely to affect investor confidence negatively, especially given that President Ramaphosa has acted as the champion of good governance and now this bomb has burst over his very own head,” said Holomisa.
Holomisa said he was turning to parliament given the alleged involvement of the police and the SSA in covering up the matter, but also because parliament has a constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight on the executive.
