By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has every intention of appearing before the party’s integrity commission to explain his role in the Phala Phala farm saga.
Ramaphosa has come under immense political pressure, both from inside sections of the ANC and from opposition parties, since the theft of foreign currency from his farm in Limpopo came to light.
The theft hit the headlines after former spy boss Arthur Fraser laid a criminal complaint.
Ramaphosa has denied any criminal wrongdoing.
Addressing the delegates at the SACP conference on Friday in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, in his capacity as the president of the ANC.
Ramaphosa said he will cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
“I have pledged my full cooperation to the investigation process, I am prepared to be held accountable and I have volunteered to appear before the integrity commission. I will not allow these allegations to deter me from rebuilding our economy.
“I will not be intimidated, distracted, or bullied into submission.”
Outgoing SA Communist Party (SACP) secretary-general Blade Nzimande has launched a scathing attack on Fraser for laying criminal charges against Ramaphosa last month.
Referring to Fraser by his title rather than his name, Nzimande said Fraser’s motives for laying criminal charges against Ramaphosa were questionable because he acquired the privileged information while still deployed in government, but only reported the alleged crime after leaving his post.
The charges emanated from the alleged theft in 2020 of millions of US dollars in cash from the president’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
“There’s a former official of government who goes and lays charges at the police station against the president of the Republic to say that money was stolen from the farm of the president. The fact is that the president has said let the law enforcement agencies and other entities of the state investigate this matter. As the SACP, we must welcome that the president commits to a process of this nature instead of using his position as president to try and prevent these things from being thoroughly scrutinised,” said Nzimande.
While Ramaphosa said the ANC remained firmly committed to the tripartite alliance with the SACP and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), he said discussions around the reconfiguration of the alliance needed to be concluded soon.
He said this would ensure that the organisations shared a common view on crucial areas of social and economic development in the country.
“The ANC and the SACP have had a tightly interwoven relationship that spans many decades and we remain firmly committed to our alliance with the SACP, and we remain convinced that the role of the SACP, in advancing the fundamental transformation of our economy and our society, is very key to the future of our country, “Ramaphosa said.
The ANC-led alliance has in the recent past been fraught with challenges over decision-making and government’s policy direction, with calls for the reconfiguration of the partnership.
The SACP had also threatened to withdraw its support for the ANC at polls and contest elections independently due to corruption and state capture scandals bedeviling the governing ANC.
Ramaphosa slammed critics who had called the tripartite alliance outdated and irrelevant, saying the alliance had stood the test of time over many decades, and would continue to do so.
He admitted that there were “weaknesses, lapses and shortcomings” in the partnership, adding that the channels of communication between the organisations had not responded effectively to the challenges faced by the movement.
“I can say as the president of the ANC, I do support that we should have a thoroughgoing discussion on the reconfiguration of the alliance.
“We must discuss in-depth precisely what our roles and responsibilities are as we chart the way forward,” he said.
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