President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane / African News Agency (ANA)
Pretoria - In spite of acting Public Protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka’s leaked preliminary report into the Phala Phala saga clearing President Cyril Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing, think tanks seem to believe he has lost touch with reality.
Political parties lambasted Gcaleka for finding nothing against Ramaphosa, but she has since warned that she should be allowed to produce a final report after obtaining comments from affected individuals or institutions.
Executive director of Accountability Now, advocate Paul Hoffman, said Ramaphosa had a lot to explain.
“The question can be answered by drilling down into the conduct of the Cabinet that is required by the Constitution. I think that has been overlooked in the preliminary report.
“Whether retaining US dollars beyond the 30-day period allowed by the Reserve Bank (and) stitching them into a couch can be said to be consistent with his oath of office and the obligations of the president is something that needs to be looked into,” Hoffman told a broadcaster.
Hoffman said Cabinet members should avoid being exposed to the risk of conflict of interest.
“The Constitution says, ‘Don’t expose yourself to the risk of a conflict of interest’. The risk – not an actual conflict. I think the president did do that by retaining his membership in the close corporation that is trading in livestock and wildlife.
“He should have put that into a blind trust, and he ought not to have had anything to do with it, even if it was a money-making hobby. That sort of hobby ought not to be the business of the leader of the country.
“He is the sole member of the close corporation that received the undeclared dollars … He is the person responsible (for the exchange of) those dollars into rand within 30 days of receipt,” Hoffman said.
Wits Professor Emeritus of International Law, André Thomashausen, has suggested that EU funders who poured money into Ramaphosa’s 2017 victory at Nasrec, Johannesburg, have now turned their backs on him.
“Half of our adult population does not have employment and has no chance of ever finding employment, so they live from one day to the other praying and hoping that they can find food the next day. This is unsustainable in any country in the world.
“We are expecting a national shutdown as announced by the EFF (on March 20), and many are asking: ‘Is Ramaphosa going to cling on? Is he going to survive this shutdown?” Thomashausen told another broadcaster.
Thomashausen said Ramaphosa had dashed the hopes of those who believed he was a good leader.
“(Ramaphosa) was believed to be a successful businessman. People didn’t look at the performance of his businesses. They didn’t realise what role he played in the downturn of Lonmin where a share price of maybe £10 (R219) fell to 10 pence.
“They didn’t look at Shanduka. They didn’t look at (his) actual performance. They were hoping that a pragmatist, in a way, a social democrat, would tame the transformation energy of the ANC,” he said.
Thomashausen said the EU supported Ramaphosa, believing he would prevent the emergence of EFF-type policies.
“(They were hoping) he would tame the leanings toward a very radical economic transformation, and South Africa, according to the EFF, should follow the model of Venezuela and have a president like Hugo Chavez.
“That was the hope. That is why the West supported – very strongly – the Ramaphosa candidature, even financially. A lot of money was raised in London to help him win the nomination at the ANC conference at the time, but he hasn’t fulfilled the promises,” Thomashausen said.
He said Ramaphosa’s recent Cabinet reshuffle made it clear that he was in no position to lead the country.
“The Eskom situation has got worse. The national railways during his term were destroyed. There are now basically no more national railways. PetroSA is as bankrupt as Eskom.
“State-owned enterprises are ruined – of course, Minister Pravin Gordhan should probably be the first one to answer for that, but strangely he was not replaced. He is retained together with the pillars of the old ANC,” Thomashausen said.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said he would not respond to “opinions”.
Pretoria News