Statement on allegations contained in The Star newspaper
17 April 2021 - 6:00pm
The Presidency has noted recent reports in The Star newspaper related to a complaint of corruption against President Cyril Ramaphosa that has been reportedly been made at the Sandton police station.
According to the newspaper, the complaint relates to a “dubious tender” given by the Free State Department of Education to the President’s former company for the construction of a school.
While the newspaper report is not clear on the details of the complaint, the report contains glaring inaccuracies and a clear misrepresentation of facts.
President Ramaphosa wishes to place the following on the record:
- Shanduka Group never received a tender for the construction of any schools in the Free State. Shanduka did not operate in the construction industry. The nature of Shanduka’s investments and operations are publicly available.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa was neither a director nor a shareholder in Shanduka Group in 2015, at the time he was alleged to have “persuaded” the provincial department to award the non-existent contract. He exited the business in November 2014.
- The Shanduka Foundation, a non-profit organisation established by President Ramaphosa in 2002, has made substantial contributions to the development of township and rural schools. (The Shanduka Foundation is now the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation.)
- In 2013 the Shanduka Foundation committed R100 million to a school development project in the Free State alongside Kagiso Trust (which also made a R100 million commitment) and the Free State Department of Education (which made a commitment to match these contributions).
- This project, originally known as the Kagiso Shanduka Trust and now simply as KST, has to date facilitated the contribution of around R280 million from foundations and private sector donors to schools in the Free State.
- Neither President Ramaphosa nor any companies in which he held interests has ever received any benefit from school construction in the Free State or anywhere else in the country. On the contrary, both President Ramaphosa and Shanduka have made substantial financial contributions towards the construction and development of schools.
All of this information is readily available in the public domain.
Statement issued by Tyrone Seale, Acting Spokeperson to President Cyril Ramaphosa, The Presidency, 17 April 2021
