Ramaphosa has been cleared, but he’s not out of the woods

President Cyril Ramaphosa may have predictably been cleared of any wrongdoing over the theft of US dollars from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020 by acting public protector Kholeka Gcaleka in her final report yesterday, but the announcement will not clear his waning public image.

In short, even though he has been cleared, the president has not come out of the whole saga smelling of roses.

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After the burglary was initially kept under wraps, once it came to light the entire way it has been handled will never satisfy a nation that is fed-up with the way the government “investigates” similar high-profile scandals.

The probe took far too long, there’s been little transparency in the whole process and the acting public protector will have to contend with accusations of not ruling against the president with a permanent position still on the line.

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There are still far more Phala Phala questions than answers and a feeling no action will ever be taken against a high ranking official, let alone the president.

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen labelled the announcement as a “whitewash” and simply a “pro-Ramaphosa PR exercise”. He’s got a point.

A nation still believes its president has not taken them into his confidence and with the CR17 campaign still fresh in people’s minds, a public protector probe clearance is not going to just magically make everything hunky-dory

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