Ramaphosa must play open cards about Bosasa donation

19 July 2019

President Cyril Ramaphosa must play open cards about the donation of R500 000 that he received from Gavin Watson’s company Bosasa for his election campaign. He owes the people of South Africa an explanation.

The Public Protector (PP) today found that the President "deliberately misled Parliament" when he was asked about the donation and that he violated the ethical code of his office.

Yesterday in Parliament, President Ramaphosa said that the law must take its course with regard to the matter. That has indeed happened with the PP's finding and now the ball is in the President's court as he must state the facts of the case.

If he decides to have the PP's findings reviewed, he must do it without delay and also provide his reasons for doing so.

Thus far, the President has been very enthusiastic about combating corruption and he cannot allow this incident to leave a permanent blot on his record. He must play open cards about what really happened so that justice can prevail in the interest of truth and transparency.

Issued by Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 19 July 2019