Durban - As the scandal around President Cyril Ramaphosa’s stolen millions widens, more questions are being asked and some are demanding accountability from the head of state.
On Monday, General Bantu Holomisa, an anti-corruption crusader who leads the UDM (United Democratic Movement), wrote to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula demanding that the matter be probed and for Ramaphosa to vacate the presidency and go on a sabbatical.
This is over his role in covering up the robbery at his Phala Phala farm in February 2020, and the opposition party leader wants him suspended while a probe is under way.
The demand for a probe stems from a criminal case against Ramaphosa and some of his close protection unit members for allegedly concealing the theft of cash in US dollars. The theft was allegedly committed by Namibian nationals who conspired with a domestic worker on the farm.
On Friday, the leader of the DA, the official opposition, John Steenhuisen, also wrote to the Speaker and demanded a probe that would determine if Ramaphosa flouted exchange control and tax laws of the country.
Holomisa said that he does not want the matter to go unprobed and added while on his sabbatical, Ramaphosa’s position should be filled by an acting president.
“These allegations have been greatly destructive of the country’s image, both at home and abroad. And it is likely to affect investor confidence negatively; especially given that President Ramaphosa has acted as a champion of good governance and now this bomb has burst over his very own head.
“Given the existing dynamics with the alleged involvement of the police and the State Security Agency, but in the main that Parliament has a responsibility to do oversight over the executive, the UDM would suggest that President Ramaphosa take a sabbatical leave, until mid-August 2022.
“Then, that Parliament and the acting president may institute a preliminary investigation into the entire matter with terms of reference that would include if the SA Revenue Service and the Reserve Bank had any knowledge of the matter,” Holomisa wrote to Mapisa-Nqakula.
The spokesperson of the National Assembly, Moloto Mothapo, confirmed that Holomisa had written to the Speaker.
“The Speaker has received the correspondence,” he said.
In the local currency, the money is said to be around R69 million and kept on the game farm in hard cash, thus allegedly contravening exchange control laws. The Phala Phala farm robbery matter has also raised more questions than answers as Ramaphosa and his spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, have been ducking questions, sometimes giving incoherent answers.
It has since emerged that the Namibian government alerted the South African government about suspicious money transfers from the South African accounts of the suspects to their banks.
This now raises questions about how the money was moved back to Ramaphosa. Was it via banks or was it given back to him in hard cash? If it was via banks, it implies that some laws regarding international transfers were broken.
Magwenya said: “The president reaffirms that he was not involved in any criminal conduct, and once again pledges his full co-operation with any police investigation. He confirms that following the incident in February 2020, security has been improved around his homes,” he said.
The Namibian police did not respond when they were asked about the matter by the Daily News on Monday.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said keeping so much money is also criminal or suspect in terms of our law. It creates a suspicion of money laundering, worse so when that cash is in a foreign currency.
“The more the president responds, the more he entangles himself. Addressing the ANC gathering he was quick to argue that he never stole money from anyone. But no one has suggested that.
“He is deliberately and dishonestly diverting attention from serious charges that have been laid against him. We still have the Glencore matter to deal with,” he said.
Piling on more pressure, Democracy in Action (DIA) on Monday wrote to the National Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Shamilla Batohi, asking her to institute criminal charges against Ramaphosa after he admitted that he knew about the incident.
“With all evidence and a confession from accused number 1 (Ramaphosa), we implore yourselves to immediately charge, investigate further and prosecute both the accused criminals,” the DIA’s Thabo Mtsweni said.
NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said the prosecuting authority had not received the DIA’s letter.
“We have no record of the letter being received by the office of the NDPP.”
In Namibia, the Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters said it wanted answers, adding that it was clear that Ramaphosa and his Namibian counterpart, Hage Geingob, worked together to conceal the crime.
Daily News