Ramaphosa refused to answer Phala Phala questions

According to its chairman George Mashamba, President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally appeared before the ANC’s integrity committee.

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa met with the elders to discuss the Phala Phala game farm controversy, which many ANC members believe has damaged their organization’s reputation.

Mashamba stated, “He did appear before the commission the day before yesterday,” adding that the organization would contact Ramaphosa for an additional appearance following the national policy conference, which is this weekend.

The committee will convene following the policy conference to determine the next steps and whether we need to contact him once again.

Ramaphosa “refused to answer questions” regarding the burglary at the game farm, which has garnered national and international attention, causing a confrontation with the committee, according to insiders. The ensuing adjournment of the meeting.

Both Pule Mabe, the ANC’s national spokeswoman, and Mashamba declined to comment on the accusations.

Reason for an appearance by Ramaphosa

Following conflicts at the party’s national working committee (NWC) and national executive committee (NEC), Ramaphosa’s appearance before the integrity committee this week comes as his critics try to remove him from office in light of the ongoing Phala Phala crisis.

By requesting that the NWC decide whether to report the president to the integrity committee so that he can “explain himself,” NEC members including Tony Yengeni put the accusations on the agenda.

Additionally, Yengeni urged the NWC to tell Ramaphosa to voluntarily present himself to the ethics committee of parliament in order to avoid the opposition from “claiming” the initiative and “running with it.”

When Arthur Fraser, the nation’s former spy chief and a supporter of former president Jacob Zuma, filed a case against Ramaphosa for money laundering, kidnapping, and corruption in 2020 over the theft of an amount thought to be USD$4 million from the president’s game farm, the Phala Phala scandal broke out.

Also read: Busisiwe Makhabane gives Cyril Ramaphosa an ultimatum