By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Presidency in a statement has rubbished allegations made against President Cyril Ramaphosa by former spy boss Arthur Fraser.
A statement widely circulated on social media on Wednesday afternoon, issued in Fraser’s name, stated the complaint related to the alleged theft of “in excess of four million US dollars” from Ramaphosa’s farm in Limpopo.
Frazer alleges that criminals entered Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Waterberg, Limpopo and were caught after stealing US$4 million.
The suspects were allegedly kidnapped, interrogated, and paid off to keep silent about the alleged crime.
Frazer alleged he had provided police with evidence showing how Ramaphosa “concealed the crime”, which allegedly took place on 9 February 2020.
He called on the president to tell South Africans the truth about what transpired at his farm.
The presidency said in a statement that a robbery did occur but Fraser’s claims have no basis.
“Ramaphosa is clear that there is no basis for the claims of criminal conduct that have been made against him in Fraser’s statement.
“The Presidency can confirm that a robbery took place at the President’s farm in Limpopo on or around 9 February 2020 in which proceeds from the sale of game were stolen.
“The President was attending an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa at the time the incident occurred. On being advised of the robbery, Ramaphosa reported the incident to the head of the Presidential Protection Unit of the South African Police Service for investigation.”
However the president stands ready to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation of these matters.
Ramaphosa remains resolute in leading the fight against corruption, restoring the integrity and capability of public institutions and overcoming the legacy of state capture, and will not be deterred by disinformation campaigns, the statement read.