Opposition unites to demand Ramaphosa answers over farm burglary

Seven South African opposition parties agreed on a process to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa to account over a burglary at a game farm he owns.

The Democratic Alliance, the Economic Freedom Fighters and five other groups want the nation’s anti-graft ombudsman, known as the Public Protector, to publicly disclose responses it received from Ramaphosa to questions about the incident, according to a statement emailed Wednesday by the DA. The president’s submission isn’t being released publicly while an investigation into the robbery at the farm, known as Phala Phala, continues.

“The concealment of the president’s responses to the Public Protector on the Phala Phala matter is unacceptable and must be challenged,” the parties said in the statement. “Parliament must hold President Cyril Ramaphosa accountable for the violation of laws, in terms of what happened at Phala Phala, which implicate him.”

The theft at Ramaphosa’s farm in the northern Limpopo province in February 2020 was revealed in June by the former head of the State Security Agency, Arthur Fraser, who filed charges against the president for allegedly concealing the crime. Fraser claimed that $4 million was stolen and the suspects tortured.

Ramaphosa has refused to answer any questions about the incident, including those posed to him by lawmakers.

The opposition parties plan to meet again on August 10 to discuss the establishment of a committee in terms of section 89 of the constitution, which provides for the removal of a president, as well as a motion of no confidence, according to the statement.