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Opposition parties call on the Public Protector to release Phala Phala report

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Opposition parties in Parliament are to picket outside the office of the Public Protector on Friday.

They are calling for the Acting Public Protector, Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka to release the report into the Phala Phala investigation.

The parties allege that Gcaleka is in breach of the Executive Members Ethics Code, after failing to conclude the report within 30 days of the initial complaint.

In June, former State Security Agency Director-General, Arthur Fraser laid a criminal complaint against President Cyril Ramaphosa for allegedly concealing a burglary at his Phala Phala Farm that saw the theft of a large sum in foreign currency.

The parties including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), United Democratic Movement (UDM), African Transformation Movement (ATM), Congress of the People (COPE), Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), National Freedom Party (NFP) and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) want the report handed over with immediate effect.

The Public Protector’s spokesperson, Oupa Segalwe says it is correct that the Executive Members Ethics Act provides that the Public Protector should report on the investigation within 30 days of receipt of the complaint.

Segalwe elaborates, “But the act does not stop there, it goes further to say, in the event the Public Protector reports at the end of that 30 day period that the investigation is on-going, the Public Protector must then submit another report when the investigation has been completed. Now the investigation has been on-going and progressing very well.”

Several agencies are looking into claims made against President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding his actions following the theft of dollars that were kept in a sofa on his farm.

According to a letter seen by the SABC, the Reserve Bank gave the Presidency until Friday to provide additional information regarding the origin of the foreign currency.

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