Johannesburg - Two presidents have for the past 13 days failed to come clean and explain their roles in the alleged cover-up in the theft of undisclosed American dollars, estimated to be $4 million, at the Phala Phala farm owned by President Cyril Ramaphosa in February 2020.
Former State Security director-general Arthur Fraser, in an affidavit filed when he opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa at the Rosebank police station last Wednesday, alleged that the president “sought the help” of his Namibia counterpart, Hage Geingob, “in apprehending the suspect in Namibia”.
Fraser also implicated Ramaphosa’s head of the Presidential Protection Unit, Wally Rhoode, in allegations of criminal conduct.
The main culprit in the Dollar$gate saga is Immanuwela David, the man believed to be the mastermind of the robbery at Ramaphosa’s farm in Bela-Bela, Limpopo, and who was arrested in Namibia on June 14, 2020. He was kept in jail for more than four months.
“David was kept in jail for entering Namibia illegally and failing to declare unidentified goods, but the truth was that he was kept there and interrogated about where he had hidden Ramaphosa’s money,” a Namibian official with intimate knowledge of the case said yesterday.
“It is strongly believed that David smuggled R7 million into Namibia to wash in different business deals, including a car dealership,” the official added.
Ramaphosa has acknowledged that there was indeed a robbery at his farm, but he vehemently denied that he asked the Namibian president for help.
Ramaphosa also claims that he wasn’t aware that Rhoode, whom he had tasked to investigate the robbery at his farm, had allegedly kidnapped and tortured the suspects to hand back the remaining loot.
During the closing of the Limpopo ANC provincial conference last Sunday, the president maintained that he had not broken any law or committed a crime. He said the money stolen at his Phala Phala farm in 2020 was from selling game animals and cattle.
“I remain fully focused on the task that the people of our country have given me. I want to reaffirm that I was not involved in any criminal conduct, and once again I pledge my full co-operation with any form of investigation,” Ramaphosa said.
“Due to the investigation, I will not be able to engage deeply or further in this matter as we should allow the due process to take place.”
Ramaphosa told those gathered there that he had never stolen money from anywhere, be it from our taxpayers or anywhere else.
“I have never done so. I will never steal money from the taxpayers. My integrity as a leader can never allow me to do so. I will continue to fight corruption,” he said.
While the pressure is mounting here at home for Ramaphosa to step aside while allowing the law to take its course, in Namibia Geingob is also under pressure from the media and opposition parties who won’t let the matter die down.
On Friday, Geingob’s office issued a statement stating that Fraser did not “make any allegation of criminality on the part of President Geingob” when fielding questions from journalists on his alleged role in helping Ramaphosa gain access to the suspects.
But a confidential report compiled by former Namibian crime investigations department head Nelius Becker, dated June 21, 2020 and seen by the Sunday Independent, stated that the robbery mastermind David told police that he paid a syndicate allegedly smuggling people between South Africa and Namibia R50 000 to help him enter the country illegally.
In this report, Becker also dropped the bombshell when he reported that “discussions are allegedly ongoing between the countries’ two presidents".
Yesterday Geingob’s spokesperson, Alfredo Hengari, said that he couldn’t comment on allegations that their citizens were kidnapped and tortured, as alleged in Fraser’s affidavit.
“We are waiting for the investigation in South Africa to unfold and guide us as to whether or not these allegations are true,” Hengari said.
When asked whether he was disputing Becker’s assertions in his report that the two presidents were discussing the crime that had been committed at Ramaphosa’s farm - as both denied it - Hengari said: “Anybody can name-drop and say some things that are not factual.”
Becker also confirmed to the Namibian Sun this week that he had penned the report but he failed to respond to our calls yesterday.
During a press briefing last week, Geingob stressed that he spoke to Ramaphosa regularly, but it was nothing sinister as he did the same with other African and SADC leaders.
“It is a criminal case. People who are here and came illegally were arrested. He was later charged, bailed, and went back to South Africa. So, I don’t know what favour I would have done anybody so let’s see, let them bring it up in court because it’s going to be in court, so let’s not divert,” he said.
EFF leader Julius Malema this week asked Ramaphosa to step aside and allow a police investigation against him to continue because his presence might intimidate the investigators. But, in response, Ramaphosa said he wouldn’t step aside because that would mean he was guilty of something.
Despite his ducking and diving stance, analysts believe Ramaphosa should step aside and be cleared before resuming his duties.
Political analyst Sipho Seepe said the money hidden in the furniture fiasco was not different from the Nkandla matter, where former president Jacob Zuma was called to be removed from office. He said acts of criminality and illegality had occurred in Ramaphosa’s matter.
“The president has failed to answer and to report this matter. Given the gravity of this situation, South Africans should not expect any less, and there is a need for consistency. The president should not be allowed to get away with this,” said Seepe.
He added that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was reluctant to charge Ramaphosa, saying they knew he would have to step aside once he was charged.
“They will take a long time to make sure that he doesn’t step aside. He has no intention of stepping aside, and his supporters will make sure that they find loopholes to ensure he doesn’t step aside. The way to deal with this is through the legal process because it is not something you win with numbers.
“You have seen the so-called corruption busters being very quiet. If it was Zuma, he would have gone to court. The Helen Zille and Nelson Mandela Foundations would have been up in arms. But because it is their darling, they are all quiet,” said Seepe.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said the situation meant that the country was in the middle of the ANC mess, adding that the internal factions of the governing party were now overwhelming the institution. Mathekga said this would put the step-aside resolution in disarray, adding that this was a bigger issue and that there were more questions than answers.
“The tax issue and transition, and we don’t even know the source of the money. Those are issues that certain people will press him on. The president found himself in this situation because of his judgment, and that is what it is. And you cannot clean it up. And people are now going to say, Mr President, you are a champion of the step aside, and he can’t undermine that,” Mathekga said.