Durban - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have demanded that President Cyril Ramaphosa respond to the 31 questions posed to him by the Office of the Public Protector, about his possible breach of the Executive Members Ethics Act for allegedly being involved in crimes including money laundering and kidnapping.
Weeks after former spy boss Arthur Fraser laid criminal charges against Ramaphosa for not reporting a theft of $4 million from the Phala Phala farm in February 2020 and allegedly trying to cover it up, crucial questions remain unanswered.
Ramaphosa has admitted that the robbery occurred at his farm but denied any wrongdoing while failing to answer relevant questions.
In a statement the EFF said: “On the 8th of June, the Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane sent Ramaphosa 31 questions relating to the crimes which occurred and emanated from Phala Phala farm. A day later, she was suspended by Ramaphosa, who proceeded to secure a baseless extension to respond to the questions from Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka.”
The party said that in terms of the extension, Ramaphosa needs to respond by Monday.
“The EFF therefore calls on Ramaphosa, to desist from trying to portray himself as a victim of bullying and intimidation, and respond to the clear and direct questions regarding Phala Phala. His attempts at creating a smoke-screen that there is a witch hunt against him are failing dismally, in the face of coherent and logical interrogation by the public.”
The EFF said serious allegations continued to emerge following the incident and Ramaphosa needed to answer the questions, and provide clarity to the country.
The party also wants its own questions answered including why the president was in possession of such a large amount of foreign currency, and exactly how much money was involved.
The EFF also questioned, “why was the crime not reported to police and to what extent where state resources used in the subsequent cover up? and did Ramaphosa coerce Namibian President Hage Geingob to help him find the Namibian suspects in the crime?”