DURBAN - The parliamentary standing committee on public accounts is expected to deliberate on President Cyril Ramaphosa's U-turn response to the committee after he was asked to explain his utterances revealed in a leaked recording where he said he would not reveal names of those who stole public funds.
The committee’s chair, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, said that a meeting was scheduled for this Wednesday to discuss the matter.
In his response to the committee, Ramaphosa did not deny having said that he would rather fall on his sword than reveal names of those who stole public funds from the State Security Agency for political campaigns.
Just as he swore not to reveal the names of his fellow cadres, he told his NEC that they stole the money from the people of South Africa, the head of state said he had relied on rumours but failed to disclose those who had whispered to him that state money was used.
“I do not have any direct and specific information on the alleged misuse of public funds for party political purposes. The statements I made in the NEC meeting were based on allegations already in the public domain and rumours circulating within the organisation and broader society.”
Contradictory to what he had said about hiding names of those who stole public money and protecting the ANC from being dragged into the mud, Ramaphosa told parliament that: “One of the critical areas to which we are giving attention is to promote transparency, accountability and ethical behaviour, with respect to the funding of internal party activities.”
However, in the almost fourteen minutes recording that was exposed by the Daily News, Ramaphosa was heard stating that he had deliberately told the officials to only investigate the CR17 campaign and not the others.
In the recording, he said: “I even said to the officials, I think it’s enough to focus on one only CR17, and even said because I don’t want the ANC to be dragged, once again, in the mud when those assessments, investigations will reveal that a lot of money, of public funds, was used, and I said that in this case, I am prepared to fall on the sword so that the CR17 campaign, yes, should be the only one that is looked at, and not the others, because the image of the African National Congress is what I am most concerned about.
“Each one of us knows that quite a bit of money that is used in campaigns, in bussing people around, in doing all manner of things, is often from state resources and public resources, and we cannot kid ourselves when it comes to that.
“One of the officials said, you know as these people from the state security were testifying, one of the officials said, soon they will be revealing how about how money from the SSA was used for some campaign, and I said heaven forbid, I would rather they say, yes, you got money from this businessman for CR17 than for the public to finally hear that their money, public money, was used to advance certain campaigns,” said Ramaphosa in the recording.
Pressed for a response on which officials he had instructed to only investigate the CR17 funding campaign, which he subsequently rushed to court to have statements sealed ensuring that South Africans never know the details of the funds, Ramaphosa never responded to the questions from the publication.
Spokesperson for State Security Mava Scott said the agency would wait for Scopa to write to it before commenting on the matter.
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane confirmed that she would investigate Ramaphosa and deliver a report within 30 days in terms of the Executive Members Ethics Act.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said that Ramaphosa was a master of obfuscation and had mastered the art of pretence.
“His pronouncements are mere public relations. When he made the impugned comments, he was merely play acting. He was playing to the gallery. He did not imagine that someone would follow up his comments.
Speaking on the suspension of ANC Scopa whip, Mervyn Dirks, who had requested the committee investigate Ramaphosa, he said: “The treatment Dirks has received is proof of a president who is unable to honour his commitments.”
Political analyst Dr Metji Makgoaba said that Ramaphosa’s response to Scopa was embarrassing.
“It is a pure spin, and he feels embarrassed. He knows what he said is very sensitive, and he wants an easy way out. His response shows that he wants to evade responsibility. It shows that he is a very dishonest man,” said Makgoba.
Daily News