Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya has confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has received the Public Protector’s preliminary report on the Phala Phala investigation.
Acting Public Protector, Advocate Kholeka Gcoleka, delivered the report to the President and affected parties on Friday.
Media Statement | Saturday, 11 March 2023
Subject | Public Protector’s notice on Phala-Phala investigation delivered to affected and implicated persons pic.twitter.com/V2LwnnbsQh
— Public Protector SA (@PublicProtector) March 11, 2023
In the leaked preliminary report, Acting Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcoleka says the President did not act improperly in the events at his Limpopo farm almost three years ago.
Gcoleka has found that claims that President Ramaphosa failed to report the theft of US dollars on his Phala Phala farm in 2020 and abused his power in utilising state resources to investigate the housebreaking are unsubstantiated.
The Office of the Presidency maintains that the President was not involved in any wrongdoing.
Magwenya says, “As stated before, we reiterate that the President did not participate in any wrongdoing, nor did he violate the oath of his office. Instead, the President was a victim of a crime that he duly reported to the relevant authorities.”
In the report, Gcaleka says she could not find any evidence to conclude that Ramaphosa’s deployment of Presidential Protection Services at his private residence amounts to an abuse of SAPS resources.
In June 2022, former State Security Agency (SSA) Director-General Arthur Fraser opened criminal charges against Ramaphosa at the Rosebank Police Station in Johannesburg.
Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court rejected Ramaphosa’s bid to challenge the Section 89 independent panel report into Phala Phala, saying no case has been made for exclusive jurisdiction or direct access.
The President launched a review of the independent probe led by former Chief Justice, Sandile Ngcobo, which found that he may have a prima facie case to answer on the theft of money at his Limpopo farm in 2020. Additional reporting by Zoleka Qodashe.
Tax compliance statement issued by SARS on Phala Phala: Edward Kieswetter
