Political analyst Professor Pieter Duvenage says the allegations leveled against President Cyril Ramaphosa could be part of a smear campaign ahead of the final instalment of the State Capture report, which includes investigations into the State Security Agency.
Duvenage says the timing and motive of the criminal charges laid by former director-general of the State Security Arthur Fraser against President Cyril Ramaphosa must be questioned.
Fraser laid the charges based on the theft of over $4 million in February 2020 at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
He alleged that Ramaphosa was involved in kidnapping the suspects, interrogating and bribing them, and concealing the crime from police.
Duvenage believes this could be politically motivated. “Why now? It seems like he [Fraser] and people in the intelligence service had this information for a while since 2020. The question is why now. Right in the middle of what one can call the election season of the ANC. We have had already the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and now Limpopo as provinces electing their people to go to the national election of the ANC. So the timing is interesting and the timing is a context.”
Below is the full interview with Professor Pieter Duvenage:
Ramaphosa to approach ANC Integrity Commission
President Ramaphosa is pleading innocent as police investigate the alleged robbery. On Monday, he vowed to approach the Integrity Commission on allegations that he tried to cover up the multimillion-dollar theft.
The ANC National Working Committee has welcomed and commended its president’s decision.
Possible issues of tax evasion, withholding of foreign currency:
