Last week, the South African president was accused of kidnapping and corruption by the country’s former spy chief. “The president is facing a credibility crisis and cannot hide behind procedural smokescreens,” said John Steenhuisen, the leader of the opposition party.
Following revelations that he failed to disclose a theft from his farm in northern Limpopo province, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing a criminal inquiry.
Arthur Fraser, the country’s former spy chief, made allegations of kidnapping and corruption against the president.
If Ramaphosa acknowledged the theft, he claims he informed the head of his VIP Protection section, who did not inform the police.
Several opposition parties have demanded that the crime be thoroughly investigated, including if the sum of foreign currency reportedly stolen was reported to the South African Revenue Service.
The United Democratic Movement has called for Ramaphosa to take a “leave of absence” while Parliament investigates the incident, claiming that doing so while he is in government would be unwise.
According to Arthur Fraser, who filed the case, the crime involved at least $4 million. Ramaphosa, on the other hand, refuted the notion, referring to a figure “much smaller than what has been reported in the media.” He did not, however, specify a dollar sum.
Over the weekend, Ramaphosa spoke at a provincial convention of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
The money came from “purchasing and selling animals” on the President’s farm, he stated when speaking about the incident for the first time over the weekend.
Some supporters of Ramaphosa accuse the timing of the announcement of being part of a campaign to undermine his reelection candidacy as party president in December.
Former South African intelligence chief Fraser, who is believed to be sympathetic to former President Jacob Zuma, revealed details about the theft.
Last year, Fraser controversially granted Zuma’s medical parole release, an action that is now being challenged in court as unlawful. Zuma was sentenced to prison last year after being found guilty of violating the Constitutional Court by refusing to participate in a judicial investigation into claims of corruption during his presidency from 2009 to 2018.
