By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa faced fresh criticism from opposition after seemingly being well enough to attend a cattle auction dinner at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
Ramaphosa was a keynote speaker at the auction hosted by Ntaba Nyoni cattles on Friday evening.
He also hosted a member of the Ugandan Parliament, Wilson Kajwenye, on his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo.
Kajwengye took to twitter, thanking Ramaphosa and his family for hosting them at his game farm on Friday night.
The event came just days after he hosted Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni during a state visit in Pretoria.
DA whip in Parliament, Dean Macpherson tweeted:
“This “flu” saga playing out with Cyril Ramaphosa is really just another day for him. Like Zuma, he has become immune to criticism, ridicule or accountability. The ANC will defend him instead of asking why he lied about being sick and then hosting a dinner for cattle farmers.”
Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane also weighed in on social media, asking “who is fooling who[m].”
“We were told that the cabinet reshuffle is delayed because of the president being down with a cold. Yet the same president had the energy to attend an Ankole auction. Are we being taken seriously? Are we being respected by the head of state?
The president is said to have cancelled all his engagements, including consultative meetings with national officials of the African National Congress (ANC) after he caught a cold earlier this week.
That left the country in the lurch, three weeks after he indicated that we should expect a cabinet reshuffle.
The much-anticipated announcement that was rumoured to have come on Thursday, never did.
However, spokesperson in the Presidency, Vincent Magwenya, said that Ramaphosa had a minor cold, but that it did not prevent him from proceeding with his duties.
“Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a gross exaggeration to say that the President is unwell.
“On Tuesday he had a minor cold which did not prevent him from proceeding with his duties. As you saw, he hosted his Ugandan counterpart, President Museveni and he continued with his duties throughout the day, so it’s just a minor cold, it’s not something that would have prevented him to fulfil any of his duties,” said Magwenya.
Magwenya also disputed rumours that Ramaphosa was set to make the highly anticipated cabinet announcement on Thursday.
“We must also correct the rumours that there was an announcement that he was due to make yesterday.
“There was never such an announcement, should there be an announcement we will advice in time. “It is just a bit of speculation and rumour mongering at the moment,” added Magwenya.
The farm made headlines after former spy boss Arthur Fraser claimed a burglary occurred there in 2020, in which about $4 million in cash (around R72 million at the current exchange rate) was stolen.