President Cyril Ramaphosa
- Chairman Cyril Ramaphosa’s response to the Section 89 panel on the Phala Phala saga has leaked and provides the ffirst indication of how you will fight the conflict of interest investigation.
- The panel, headed by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, was set to determine whether Ramaphosa has a case to answer regarding the Phala Phala saga.
- The panel delivered its report to the president of the National Assembly on Wednesday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa told a panel set up by Parliament to look into allegations related to the Phala Phala saga that he never received a salary and had declared his financial interests throughout.
Ramaphosa, a prolific game breeder and businessman, parted ways with his business interests in 2012 after becoming vice president.
He held on to his two farms: Ntaba Nyoni in Mpumalanga, which he has owned since the early 2000s, and Phala Phala in Limpopo, which has been in operation since around 2010. Both properties are owned by the Tshivhase Trust, and the The corporate entity used to manage the farms is Ntaba Nyoni Estates Pty (Ltd).
“I have the right to retain assets or financial interests where no conflict of interest arises, if declared. ATM and EFF’s proposition that I have misinterpreted my obligations in this regard is totally unfounded. I do not do paid work for Ntaba Nyoni, nothing from what I have said has suggested so much, nor am I paid for work or service other than my duties as President serving the people of South Africa,” his presentation to the panel read.
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The panel, chaired by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, was set up to establish whether there was evidence of wrongdoing by Ramaphosa in the Phala Phala saga.
The allegations were first made public by the former director general of the State Security Agency, Arthur Fraser, in a sworn statement to police in June. He alleged that Ramaphosa and his head of security, Major General Wally Rhoode, had engaged in a cover-up and committed other crimes in the process following the robbery of $580,000 in Phala Phala in 2020.
Ramaphosa’s response to the panel provides the first indication of how the president will defend allegations that he violated the Executive Member Ethics Act by earning income other than salary.
“Like a shareholder of a company, who does not receive remuneration, I am not on any payroll that is not that of the Presidency. As stated above, I have no personal knowledge of the robbery itself,” Ramaphosa’s response read.
The response was leaked just as a press conference was taking place in Cape Town for the official delivery of the panel’s report to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
This is a developing story.
