South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the Phala Phala farm saga after a year-long investigation by the office of the Public Protector.
Phala Phala is Ramaphosa’s private game farm near Bela-Bela, Limpopo, South Africa where hundreds of thousands of cash in US dollars was stolen on 9 February 2020.
IOL reported that Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka released her report where she found that Ramaphosa had not breached the Executive Code of Ethics in the whole saga.
She said there was also no conflict between the president and his private interest on the farm.
The complaint against Ramaphosa was lodged last year June by opposition parties after it emerged that US$582 000 was stolen from the game farm.
Gcaleka also found that Ramaphosa was not involved in the sale of buffalo to a Sudanese businessman, who is based in Dubai.
She and her team established that the president was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the farm.
Gcaleka released her report into Phala Phala on Friday, 30 June 2023. Part of the report reads:
Therefore, the evidence does not support the allegations that the president’s financial interest in game or cattle farming at Phala Phala farm exposes him to any situation involving the risk of a conflict between his official responsibilities and his private interests.
Accordingly, the allegation that the president improperly and in violation of the provisions of the executive code exposed him to any risk of a conflict between his constitutional duties and obligations and his private interests arising or affected by his paid work at Phala Phala farm is not substantiated.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa’s head of security, Wally Rhoode, has been found to have abused the powers entrusted to him when he investigated the theft at Phala Phala farm.
Source Pindula News
