By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Presidency has dismissed criticism of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s performance by his predecessors as “nothing but innuendos that are not based on facts”.
This is according to Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who addressed the media at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The briefing came just days after former presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma held public engagements where Ramaphosa’s performance as a leader of the country came in for criticism.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa valued engagements with the former presidents, particularly with Mbeki.
“As far as Ramaphosa is concern, he has a healthy relationship [with former president] Mbeki,” he said.
He further reiterated that Ramaphosa took over a government and state owned entities (SOEs) that had already been eroded by corruption.
When asked how Ramaphosa could claim to have inherited the rot while he was Zuma’s second in command, Magwenya said Ramaphosa had responded to this during his testimony to the state capture commission, where he had claimed that he had done all in his power to stop the corruption.
During his testimony, Ramaphosa said, among other things, that he had almost resigned as South Africa’s deputy president over the 2015 “weekend special” saga that saw Zuma appoint Des van Rooyen as finance minister.
Magwenya outlined some of the achievements Ramaphosa and his administration had made, saying the president had embarked on a bold investment growth and employment drive.
This drive has, according to Magwenya, “raised R1.14 trillion in new investment commitments through four SA investment conferences.
“This is over 90% of the R1.2 trillion target for government’s ambitious investment drive. Of these commitments, around R330 billion has already flowed into the economy,” he said.
Magwenya added that it was important that those judging Ramaphosa and his tenure do so from an informed position and not merely just to score cheap political points.
He reiterated that it was not far-fetched to assume the former presidents’ utterances were made with the looming ANC national elective conference in mind.
Ramaphosa’s Financial Interests
Magwenya indicated Ramaphosa had divested from Shanduka, which is an investment holding company founded by the president in 2002, to avoid conflicts of interest with his government duties.
He explained that the president, however, retained assets in his non-regulated interests – including farming – as they did not cause any conflict of interest.
“The president’s farming operations have always been separate from Shanduka,” he said.
“Whilst the farming entities do trade in the purchase, sale and breeding of game and livestock, the president does not earn as a salary from these entities. Revenues earned from the trading of game and livestock covers the salaries of workers [and the rest is reinvested].
Anything else to the contrary is pure speculation and innuendo that we cannot entertain,” the Presidency spokesperson added.
Magwenya also pointed out that Ramaphosa had declared his financial interests to Parliament as well as Cabinet’’s secretary Phindile Baleni from 2014 to date.
Magwenya was quizzed about United Democratic Movement (UDM) president and MP, Bantu Holomisa’s letter to the independent panel, which will determine whether Ramaphosa has a prima facie case to answer on Phala Phala.
Replying to the matter, Magwenya said: “As you know that issue is under investigation by numerous law enforce agencies. If anybody has evidence that it must be provided to law enforce agencies so I am not going to comment on that document as suffice to say the investigation is underway.”
State Capture
The submission of the response to the recommendations of the Judicial Commission into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector marked a significant milestone in the fight against corruption and State capture and in rebuilding the capacity of the State.
“The recent approval by Cabinet of the national framework towards the implementation of the professionalisation of the public sector, which was released by (Acting Public Service and Administration) Minister Thulas Nxesi this morning is another key milestone aimed at developing a professional and ethical public service that will not bow down to undue pressure seeking to undermine government institutions and perpetrate state capture,” Magwenya said.
As a result of the work done by the of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, the Investigating Directorate that was established within the National Prosecuting Authority has to date enrolled 26 cases, declared 89 investigations and 165 accused persons have appeared in court for alleged State capture-related offences.
The law enforcement agencies have, to date, been granted freezing or preservation orders to the value of R12.9 billion.
A total of R2.9 billion has been recovered and returned to the affected entities and with South African Revenue Service (SARS) has collected R4.8 billion in unpaid taxes arising from the work of the Commission.
“South Africans should therefore take to heart that the work of the Commission is bearing fruit and will continue to do so as government and many other State institutions continue implementing their respective areas of the Commission’s recommendations,” Magwenya said.