#Bosasagate: President Ramaphosa must make public his statement to Public Protector over R500 000 bribe
30 January 2019
The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes reports that President Ramaphosa will be voluntarily submitting a statement to the Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, pertaining to her investigation into whether the President misled Parliament about a R500 000 “donation” from Bosasa CEO, Gavin Watson. In the interests of full transparency, the President should play open cards with the people of South Africa and make public his statement. South Africans must be fully assured that the President is not applying any undue pressure – or trying to influence a sensitive investigation into allegations of wrongdoing on his part.
The allegations against the President are serious. He appears to have lied to Parliament about receiving a R500 000 “donation” from a company that has been bribing ANC officials for the better part of two decades. Moreover, Ramaphosa told Parliament that his son, Andile Ramaphosa, does lucrative paid work for Bosasa. All of this appears no different to every other bribe Bosasa paid to ANC officials.
As the complainant in the matter, I will be requesting a meeting with the Public Protector, in order to submit evidence and receive a progress report into the matter. It is vital that this investigation is prioritised and receives the due consideration it deserves.
While the President is now intent on clearing his own name, he still has not taken action where it matters. The President still has not:
- Instituted a full-scale independent inquiry - headed by a retired judge to be selected by the Chief Justice - to fully investigate the Bosasa scandal, which now involves the President and his family;
- Instructed his Cabinet to audit all government contracts and deals with Bosasa;
- Instructed his Cabinet to cancel all existing government contracts with Bosasa; and
- Made public his son Andile’s business contract(s) with Bosasa, which he told Parliament he has personally seen.
We urge the President to act, and act fast.
Systematic corruption in the ANC was not simply a feature of Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family. Corruption is in the very DNA of the ANC, operating to keep a wall between the “haves” and the “have nots”. Corruption is stealing opportunity from ordinary South Africans, and this system must be defeated once and for all.
Issued by Mmusi Maimane, Leader of the Democratic Alliance, 30 January 2019
