South African President Cyril Ramaphosa would “step aside” if he is charged for the alleged criminal cover-up of millions of dollars stolen from his private farm two years ago, his spokesman said. The statement came after prosecutors said they were considering charging the president with perjury.
“If he is charged, the president will immediately step aside,” spokesman Khusela Diko said in a statement.
Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing and has said he was unaware of the alleged theft.
Should the president be charged with any wrongdoing, he has said that he would gladly step aside. Vincent Magwenya, a spokesperson for the president, made the remark to reporters in the capital city of Pretoria on Sunday. It remains to be seen if president Ramaphosa will actually be charged with anything, but if he is, he has said he is willing to step down from his position.
Magwenya said that at the moment, there are no criminal charges against Ramaphosa but a series of investigations that he is fully cooperating with. He added that Ramaphosa will continue to cooperate with investigators until the inquiries are concluded.
In recent weeks, opposition politicians and some members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) have called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down pending investigations into accusations of money laundering. These calls come at a time when Ramaphosa will be seeking reelection as leader of the ANC at the party’s elective conference next month.
While Ramaphosa has not been charged with any crime, the allegations against him are serious and, if proven true, would likely damage his reputation and credibility. For this reason, many believe he should step aside until the investigations are completed.
Whether or not Ramaphosa heeds these calls remains to be seen, but what is clear is that the controversy surrounding his leadership.
The robbery at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo province took place two years ago but only came to public knowledge in April. He was ordered to lie on the ground while the robbers made off with two laptops, a cell phone, and an undisclosed amount of cash. Mr. Moloto is just one of a growing number of farmers who have been targeted by criminals in recent years.
The number of farm attacks in South Africa has been on the rise in recent years, with reports of attacks increasing by nearly 20% in the last year alone. This rise in violence has been attributed to a number of factors, including the ongoing economic troubles in the country and the growing number of illegal firearms in circulation.
The Robbins family has been farming in South Africa for generations. Arthur Fraser is the current head of the family, and he is also a former intelligence chief. Recently, Fraser filed a criminal complaint against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of money laundering and not reporting the robbery at Fraser’s farm.
According to Fraser, Ramaphosa’s multi-million rand investment in the family farm was actually funnelled through a series of front companies and shell corporations. This money laundering scheme was used to hide the source of the funds, and it also allowed Ramaphosa to avoid paying taxes on the money.
In addition, Fraser alleges that Ramaphosa did not report the robbery at the farm to the police.
It is alleged that an estimated $4 million was stolen from his farm. This created outrage among South Africans, who questioned why there was so much foreign currency at the president’s farm. The president’s office has said that the money was meant to be used to buy equipment for the farm, and that it was not stolen. However, many people are still sceptical and believe that the president is hiding something.
Ramaphosa said the stolen money was the “proceeds from the sale of game” at his farm and not from taxpayers.
“I have never stolen taxpayers’ money. I want to reaffirm that I was not involved in any criminal conduct,” he added.
Ramaphosa went on to say that the allegations against him were part of a “smear campaign” to damage his reputation.
“I am confident that the truth will eventually prevail,” he said.