President Cyril Ramaphosa says nothing said or shared by forensic fraud examiner Paul O’Sullivan was ever considered or factored into any decision he has ever made.
Image: Phando Jikelo / Parliament of SA
President Cyril Ramaphosa has told the Ad Hoc Committee that forensic fraud examiner Paul O’Sullivan played no role when he appointed General Fannie Masemola as the national police commissioner in April 2022.
“Mr O’Sullivan played no role whatsoever, directly or indirectly, in my choice of national commissioner of police,” said Ramaphosa in his written responses to the Ad Hoc Committee.
“I made the decision to appoint General Masemola as national commissioner of police per my powers in terms of Section 207(1) of the Constitution, after consultation with the then Minister of Police and my national security adviser, Dr Mufamadi, as is customary,” he said.
O’Sullivan previously told the committee in his evidence that he was approached by Ramaphosa’s then adviser Bejani Chauke to vet designated candidates for appointment to the police national commissioner position, now occupied by Fannie Masemola.
He claimed that he was given eight names to conduct lifestyle audits on.
Among the names, O’Sullivan stated, was Masemola and Mkhwanazi, along with four others that were not suitable for the appointment because of their lifestyles.
The controversial forensic fraud examiner had also told the committee how he once trained Ramaphosa as a police reservist during the early years of South Africa’s democratic era.
In his written response, Ramaphosa confirmed that he first met O’Sullivan in 1997, when he underwent training as a police reservist.
“One of the trainers who presented a course to my then class of police was Mr O’Sullivan. Since then, I have not kept in contact with Mr O’Sullivan.”
He also said he may have met and greeted him over the years, but none came to his mind in any significant way.
However, Ramaphosa said he was advised that O’Sullivan sent messages to his office or persons with whom he had relationships, including Chauke, or employed at his foundation to convey information or seek to meet them over the past decade.
“To my knowledge, only Dr Chauke ever responded positively to a request for such a meeting.
“Nothing said or shared by Mr O’Sullivan was ever considered or factored into any decision I have ever made as president, then deputy president or in any other capacity.”
Ramaphosa categorically denied that he personally instructed Chauke to seek input from O’Sullivan in the appointment of the national police commissioner.
In February, Chauke dismissed O’Sullivan’s claim and maintained that he never solicited his involvement.
He stated that he would receive a barrage of suggestion when Ramaphosa was searching for suitable candidates for upcoming appointments.
According to Chauke, he was approached by lobbyists to influence Ramaphosa’s decision and that he had not allowed undue influence to sway the outcome.
He confirmed that O'Sullivan was one of the people who approached him.
“Only two candidates were, according to him, fit for the position. One of those he proposed was not even on the shortlist,” said Chauke, emphasising “I did not solicit Mr O’Sullivan’s involvement.”
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa said he was aware that suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu did not assign responsibilities to his deputies Cassel Mathale and Polly Boshielo.
He said ministers had been directed to finalise the assignment of responsibilities to their deputies.
“Accountability by the minister on this matter is fully traversed during the performance assessment conducted by the president and the deputy president on all ministers,” he said.
Mathale and Boshielo had told the committee that although not assigned powers, they still performed oversight functions in the ministry and did other responsibilities in terms of account to Parliament.
Ramaphosa said performance assessments of the executive were currently under way.
“Now that I have become aware that the deputy ministers were not allocated any responsibilities by the minister, it will be a matter for discussion during the assessment of the performance of the minister that the deputy president and I will be conducting with the acting minister of police.”
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za