Suspended Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane says President Cyril Ramaphosa breached the Executive Code of Ethics by not declaring the R500 000 donation he received from Bosasa for his CR17 African National Congress (ANC) Presidential campaign.
Mkhwebane is continuing with her evidence before the Section 194 parliamentary inquiry probing her fitness to hold office.
Mkhwebane’s legal counsel started by summarising her testimony from the previous day on Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign. And what the Executive Code of Ethics requires from members of Parliament.
Mkhwebane’s Counsel Adv Dali Mpofu says, “Purely on the basis of the R500 000 amount which the President himself brought to the attention of the parliament as having been received by the CR17 campaign ore than R350 just on the basis of that was your conclusion that there had been a breach of members of ethics act?”
Mkhwebane says Ramaphosa failed to declare R500 000 Bosasa donation
Mkhwebane agreed with Mpofu and said the R500 000 donation to the CR17 Campaign was not declared to parliament.
Suspended Public Protector says, “The President was a member of parliament as a deputy by then when the money was paid and was obligated as well to declare the terms of that and when we check the records on parliament the declaration of this amount was not made.”
She claims that the decision by the committee to refuse to call Ramaphosa to appear before it meant that her version will be the only one before it.
“It was also going to help the committee to directly also engage the president on the matter but you’ve taken a decision that you are not going to call him as a witness so I think then the information which I’m presenting to assist the committee to decide it means my version will be the only one before you.”
However, Mkhwebane’s report on the CR17 campaign is one of the reports that were set aside by the courts. This means the committee may also use those court decisions when assessing her evidence on the issue.
