Johannesburg, Jun 5 (PTI) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphatically denied that he stole any money from state coffers.
Closing the provincial conference of the African National Congress in Limpopo, Ramaphosa spoke out for the first time about criminal charges laid against him by former State Security Agency director general Arthur Fraser.
“I acknowledge that there is much public interest and concern about claims that have been made in a criminal complaint against me,” Ramaphosa said, referring to the allegations which have been dominating newspaper headlines for the past few days.
Fraser alleged in an affidavit that Ramaphosa had concealed a theft of USD 4 million from the farm property where the president buys and sells prized rare cattle.
Fraser claimed that the money was stolen from the farm by one of Ramaphosa’s employees colluding with several Namibian citizens, who subsequently illegally exchanged the money for South African rands.
He further said that Ramaphosa had not informed the police of the theft, rehired the worker, and paid her a large sum not to say anything about the incident.
The former spy boss also claimed that he had bank statements, video footage and photographs to support his allegations.
“I want to reaffirm that I was not involved in any criminal conduct and once again I pledge my full cooperation with any form of investigation,” Ramaphosa said at the close of the conference on Sunday afternoon, adding that because of the investigation, he would not engage further on this matter to allow the due process to take place.
“I’m a farmer. I’m in the cattle business and the game business and through that business, which has been declared, in Parliament and all over, I buy and I sell animals. The sales are sometimes through cash and sometimes through transfers. So, this that is being reported was a clear business transaction of selling animals. The amount involved is far less than what has been bandied in the press.
“Some are casting aspersions about me and money. I have never stolen money from anywhere, be it from our taxpayers; be it from anywhere; and I will never do so. My integrity as a leader will never allow me to do so.
“I will continue to fight corruption. Some of these things clearly have their own political agenda, but it will not deter me from fighting corruption, because I have never stolen taxpayers’ money,” Ramaphosa said. He was referring to the fact that amid ongoing infighting within the ANC, and firm action being initiated against some top leaders accused of corruption, allegations and counter-allegations are being leveled on a regular basis as candidates jockey for positions at the ANC elective conference scheduled to take place in a few months’ time.
Analysts and media however have been asking questions about both Ramaphosa and Fraser.
Fraser’s motives for disclosing the information that he had received at this stage is being questioned, while Ramaphosa faces queries about why he had kept such a large sum of money at his farm.
Fraser famously decided to release former President Jacob Zuma from jail just a few weeks after Zuma started serving a 15-month sentence imposed by the country’s highest judicial authority, the Constitutional Court, for being in contempt.
Zuma had refused to testify at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, whose final reports cited Zuma as a key figure in the billions of rands looted by the three Gupta brothers who are now in self-exile in Dubai as South Africa seeks their extradition.
Fraser was head of correctional services at the time, an appointment which had been made by Zuma while the latter was still in office. PTI FH RUP RUP
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