Johannesburg – EFF leader Julius Malema has lambasted acting Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka following the recent report that cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of violating the executive ethics code by engaging in paid work through the Phala Phala farm scandal.
Malema said the consistent claim by Gcaleka that Ramaphosa had not been found to have engaged in paid work was a sign that the acting PP was trying to shield Ramaphosa from accountability.
"The claim by Gcaleka that there is no conflict in a president engaging in the exchange of millions of foreign currencies without any declaration to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) or considerations of the Executive Members Ethics Act (EMEA) is a sign that a lowly puppet is occupying the office of the Public Protector," Malema said.
Malema was speaking during an address in Uncle Tom's Hall in Soweto following a commemorative June 16 walk in the area yesterday (Thursday) morning.
Malema's scathing assessment of Kholeka's report comes following a series of media interviews in which the acting public protector has maintained Ramaphosa's innocence over the Phala Phala farm scandal following a burglary at the president's farm in which millions in American dollars were stolen from his farm in February 2020.
Gcaleka said she was certain that no court of law would find Ramaphosa guilty of the accusations against him.
"I am confident the court would not find us biased. I am not worried that any malice would be found in the manner in which this report has been investigated," Gcaleka told the media this week.
Her utterances also came in the wake of threats from opposition political parties such as UDM and ATM, among others, to take her to court following her final report into the Phala Phala farm scandal.
"This report has been well thought out. I am confident that this is a matter in which the public protector would not be found to have been biased. The court might arrive at a different decision, but that is really up to the court, as we are confident that we have done the best we could," she told Newzroom Afrika this week.
The Star