Cape Town - Acting Public Protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka’s preliminary report on the Phala Phala farm scandal – which found there is no basis to conclude that President Cyril Ramaphosa contravened the Executive Ethics Code in the manner in which he handled the housebreaking at his Phala Phala farm – leaves more questions than answers.
The report clears Ramaphosa, while the lion’s share of the debacle is placed at the head of protection services,
Major-General Wally Rhoode. It is believed that Gcaleka has not touched on how much was stolen and how much was recovered.
Crucially, it does not explain if the stolen money was the proceeds of a game auction, or why those animals are still at the farm almost three years later.
Instead, Gcaleka wants the president’s adviser, Bejani Chauke, Rhoode and police officer Sergeant Hlulani Rikhotso to take accountability for the incident.
The probe was started after former spy boss Arthur Fraser opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa following a break-in at the president’s farm, where cash in the form of dollar bills was stolen from a hiding place inside a couch.
Fraser claimed there was a cover-up of the theft, and he put the president at the centre of the incident.
Gcaleka’s preliminary report found that Ramaphosa had not received remuneration or any form of paid work relating to the farm while being a member of the executive.
However, Rhoode was found to have acted improperly for conducting an “unofficial criminal investigation” in pursuit of the burglars.
If indeed Rhoode is just a pawn in a larger scheme, it would not be the first time this has played out in South African politics.
According to evidence delivered at the state capture inquiry, during former president Jacob Zuma’s era, former state protocol chief Bruce Koloane was placed at the centre of allegations surrounding the Gupta family’s controversial
Waterkloof Air Force Base landing.
Koloane was found to have acted improperly with regard to the family using a military airport for their personal benefit, and was then appointed ambassador to The Netherlands – he resigned from this position in 2019.
For South Africans who expect accountability on the Phala Phala incident, there may be justifiable cries of a cover-up, at least until the final report is released.
Cape Times