Cyril Ramaphosa notes Phala Phala report, promises to respond once final report out
President Cyril Ramaphosa said he will provide a comprehensive response to the Public Protector’s Phala Phala Report once the final version has been released.
He was speaking in KwaDukuza, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday, on the sidelines of an ANC campaign in the province.
The 191-page preliminary report, which the publication has seen, cleared Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing regarding the break-in and theft of $580,000 in cash at his Limpopo game farm in 2020.
The report was compiled by acting Public Protector, Kholeka Gcaleka, based on several interviews with Ramaphosa, his security detail and employees, among others.
But in the report Gcaleka said she found no basis that the president contravened the executive ethics code.
Although the president did not comment further on the matter, he told journalists that he noted the report.
“I have noted the report and that’s about all I can say, in terms of the Public Protector’s rules. Once the preliminary report has been issued, the less said the better, because she still needs to issue a final report,” he said.
Expectations are now mounting for Gcaleka to release the final report while some political organisations are unhappy with the preliminary version.
Meanwhile, the Presidency in a statement issued earlier on Saturday reiterated that Ramaphosa did nothing wrong.
“We note the report. 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,” said presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
-EWN
In other news – Patrice Motsepe speaks out on romance rumours with Katlego Danke
Mzansi mining tycoon Patrice Motsepe has reportedly flatly denied allegations that he and actress Katlego Danke are expecting a child together. The rumours made them a trending hot topic on social media with people labelling the Gomora actress a homewrecker over a ‘baseless’ rumour.
A local publication reports that Motsepe’s lawyer Tim Gordon-Grant said from Bowmans Attorneys have de-linked him to the actress and said the allegations are defamatory and fake. Learn More
