Former President Thabo Mbeki says he sympathises with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s position, to allow credible sources to investigate the burglary and theft at his Phala Phala farm, in Limpopo.
Ex-State Security DG Arthur Fraser laid a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa, claiming the president had sought to cover up the theft.
Mbeki answered questions from the media after he had a small event with the Drakensberg Boys Choir at his house in Johannesburg to mark his 80th birthday.
Former President Mbeki says he hopes the Hawks will move on the Phala Phala matter speedily because the country is looking for answers.
“I hope that the Hawks, now as they say they are investigating, will move on the matter speedily because I’m quite certain, from what I can see, the country is asking for many, many explanations, and I’m quite sure that legal process will help us to provide these answers. And I really sympathise with the position he took to say that let the truth come out via credible institutions of the state.”
Mbeki also weighed in on the release of the final installment of the State Capture Report. He says action needs to be taken.
“It’s a very, very, I think, challenging moment for all of us, as South Africans, because the commission, Chief Justice Zondo, have produced a very detailed report about many things that are wrong in the country. We have to respond. But many, many questions that we have to answer … what happened that as South Africans we allowed this destruction to take place? So, I think all of us, need to say what is it that we should do that this doesn’t happen. How do we recover from this great tragedy?”
On the ANC, a party he once led, Mbeki says it must look at itself and address the wrongs happening in South Africa.
“All these terrible things happening as a result of misgovernment. The ANC was a government, so it has got to take the responsibility, look at itself and see what went wrong with it. So, it has to do something about itself and really to try to redress this great wrong that has been done to our society.”
Former President Thabo Mbeki comments on various current issues in SA: Sophie Mokoena reports
