By Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa has noted the preliminary report by the acting Public Protector which has cleared him of wrongdoing in the Phala Phala saga.
It emerged on Saturday that acting public protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka has sent her report to affected parties after she did not find any wrongdoing against Ramaphosa.
The Office of the Public Protector confirmed that it sent the preliminary report to affected parties.
“The notice encloses the preliminary findings of the Public Protector and provides recipients with an opportunity to respond to the public protector’s preliminary findings. The affected and implicated parties, persons have been afforded 10 calendar days to make representations to the public protector,” said the office of the public protector.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said they have received the report.
He said Ramaphosa had insisted from day one that he did not breach the oath of his office on the Phala Phala matter.
“The Presidency is in receipt of the Public Protector's preliminary report on the investigation of whether the President breached the executive ethics code with respect to the Phala Phala matter. We note the report. As stated before, we reiterate that the President did not participate in any wrongdoing, nor did he violate the oath of his office. Instead, the President was a victim of a crime that he duly reported to the relevant authorities,” said Magwenya.
The acting public protector also said they will issue the final report once all the affected and implicated have responded.
Ramaphosa has been under pressure over the last few months since the Phala Phala issue emerged.
This week the South African Revenue Service said Ramaphosa and his Ntaba Nyoni farm were tax compliant.
This came after it was revealed that the businessman who paid $580 000 had not declared this to the tax authorities.
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