President Cyril Ramaphosa is deep in a dark trench — exactly where his opponents want him to be five months before the ANC elects new leaders.
Instead of climbing out, the president seems hell bent on digging himself deeper into the hole.
Ramaphosa had three opportunities this week to take the country into his confidence by relating what happened his farm on February 9 2020. He could have used the presidency budget vote speech on Thursday to answer the questions that linger in the public domain. How much was stolen from his farm? How much of it was in US dollars? How long did he keep the foreign currency? Was the money stuffed into couches and mattresses? Did he report the crime and what’s the case number? Were suspects abducted and tortured? Did he bribe suspects to make the matter go away?
He had another opportunity on Friday when he responded to the debate on his budget vote. Instead, he told MPs he had taken advice not to publicly speak on the matter as there is an ongoing investigation.
“The robbery that took place on my farm Phala Phala in 2020 is the subject of a criminal complaint and the law must be allowed to take its course. In other words, due process must be followed,” he told parliament.
He then proceeded to the Imbizo media centre in parliament to face a contingent of journalists who had patiently waited for him for almost three hours.
Again, Ramaphosa repeated the “due process” line — flatly refusing to be accountable to the citizens of this country.
“Let the due process happen. As regards to things like, was this the laundering of money ... how much money was there? Was there any torture and all those related questions. I’d like to hold on to that while I give consideration to the position you have also put to me in the National Assembly. And I do that with respect as Ziyanda [Ngcobo] correctly says I’m a process person. The processes must unfold. What I will, however, say if I were to be charged, yes processes in the ruling party will have to unfold.”
Journalists pushed to get more of the president. But he stuck to his story.
He told the media he will be answering questions at the ANC’s integrity commission — that toothless party structure which has no capacity to investigate. When pressed about why he values the party more than the people who elected him to power, he mumbled something about the resolutions of Nasrec — a meeting attended by a mere 4,000 ANC members.
We expected better from Ramaphosa. When he replaced Jacob Zuma in 2018, Ramaphosa declared that the era of impunity was over
The president was unconvincing.
It is either he received bad advice or he doesn’t want to be caught in a lie. Who knows what else Arthur Fraser — the former spy boss who reported the crime — has on his sleeve. There could be more damaging evidence that links the president to criminality.
But we expected better from Ramaphosa. When he replaced Jacob Zuma in 2018, Ramaphosa declared that the era of impunity was over. But the man who sat before journalists on Friday evaded questions — and told the nation to wait for an investigation into his conduct.
It seems he believes what his allies in the cabinet and the ANC national executive committee (NEC) tell him — that this scandal will mysteriously evaporate into thin air.
His backers believe there is no criminal case against the president — and that it will be up to Fraser to prove the allegations. They say Fraser will have to bring evidence of the $4m, proof that the money had been kept longer than allowed and show that the president bribed suspects. Without such evidence, they argue, the National Prosecuting Authority cannot proceed to charge Ramaphosa, and therefore he cannot be expected to step aside and not stand for re-election in December.
However, without coming clean, Ramaphosa risks losing the little credibility he has left. His opponents will be emboldened. Tony Yengeni has already called on him to step aside and will surely make a similar call at the next ANC NEC meeting.
The EFF will continue to give him a tough time in parliament. Wherever he goes, he will continue to field questions about Farmgate rather than the work of his government.
No-one will remember the content of his budget vote speech. But the image of an evasive president will live long in our minds.
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