As warned by several ANC veterans like Tokyo Sexwale and Mathews Phosa, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala stain will not go away until the president tells the country the truth about the source of his undeclared currency, why it was not declared and banked, among other questions, says the writer.
Image: GCIS
RETIRED chief justice Sandile Ngcobo set the bar high when he concluded in his report that President Cyril Ramaphosa may have violated the oath of office and that he had to answer for the undeclared US dollars concealed in couches on his Phala Phala farm.
What followed then were attempts by various State and Chapter 9 institutions including the office of the public protector, Sars, the SA Reserve Bank, the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority to exonerate the president from any responsibility relating to the Phala Phala saga.
None of these have come close to addressing the serious questions that the Ngcobo report flagged. Threats to challenge that report by the president himself have come to naught.
As warned by several ANC veterans like Tokyo Sexwale and Mathews Phosa, Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala stain will not go away until the president tells the country the truth about the source of his undeclared currency, why it was not declared and banked, among other questions.
The unanswered questions over the Phala Phala saga continue to taint the image of the country’s law enforcement agencies, and the president for that matter. Just this week, the Hawks and the NPA were celebrating the conviction and sentencing of Mohammed Ameen for money laundering and contravention of exchange control regulations.
Destined for Dubai, Ameen was intercepted by South African Customs Services at the Cape Town International Airport. In his possession were undeclared US dollars to the amount of $544 200.00 as well as R2.9m.
He received a suspended sentence for both contravening the exchange control regulations, and money laundering- similar charges that the NPA refused to pursue in the Ramaphosa case.
Perhaps the NPA and the Hawks have valid reasons to justify their decision in this regard, however they have a steep hill to climb in proving that indeed we are all equal under the law.
Until they take the country into their confidence, the Ameen case adds to fears that our law enforcement agencies have become a useful tool in political battles.