Durban - Wads of US dollar bills worth miillions delivered to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm on Christmas Day in 2019 have turned into a nightmare for the head of state, whose presidency looks likely to come to an unceremonious end.

Various amounts have been bandied about in respect of the money stolen at the president’s game farm in Bela-Bela, Limpopo, in February 2020. In some quarters, the amount has been placed at about $4million (R68.3m), while the amount of money Ramaphosa is said to have received from Sudanese businessman Mustafa Hazim was reportedly $580000 (about R8m).

The scandal has become so huge that it could put paid to Ramaphosa’s presidency after just three years and seven months at the helm at the Union Buildings.

Ramaphosa, instead of reporting the theft to the relevant law enforcement authorities, put Major-General Wally Rhoode, the head of the Presidential Protection Unit, in charge to investigate the matter.

In June this year, former State Security Agency boss Arthur Fraser opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa in connection with the theft. A day after Fraser had opened the case, the Presidency and Ramaphosa admitted that the money, stuffed in furniture at his farm, had been stolen but the theft had not been reported to the police.

Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane notified Ramaphosa in that same month that she would be investigating the Phala Phala matter. However, she was suspended by the president and replaced by advocate Kholeka Gcaleka in an acting role. Still in June, the governing party confirmed that Ramaphosa would appear before the ANC’s integrity commission as political parties called for an investigation into the matter.

In July, EFF leader Julius Malema claimed that Ramaphosa wanted to step down after telling members in his faction that he had no defence in respect of the money stolen at his game farm, but he was persuaded by his faction not to step down. As the storm around Phala Phala gathered, Ramaphosa addressed the 14th SACP congress in July, telling delegates that he would not be bullied into submission and would not stop the fight against corruption.

At the end of July, Ramaphosa appeared before the ANC’s integrity commission, but there has been no update on the ANC’s findings on the Phala Phala matter, and he had still not appeared before Parliament to answer questions on the issue. At the end of August, when Ramaphosa appeared before Parliament, he refused to answer questions by opposition MPs who were seeking clarity on the stolen millions at his farm.

In September, when Ramaphosa eventually appeared before the National Assembly, he said he had not abused his presidential powers by not informing the police and instead had asked Rhoode to conduct his own investigation into the theft.

Despite indications in October that the Phala Phala investigation was at an advanced stage, it was not until November 30 that the Section 89 independent panel report was released which found that Ramaphosa had a case to answer.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE

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