Ramaphosa’s ‘survival is based on tax avoidance’, EFF claims

The EFF has released a statement in reaction to what it calls “indisputable facts” contained in a Sunday Independent report over the weekend based on leaked emails from those involved in the CR17 campaign which saw President Cyril Ramaphosa ascend to become president of the ANC.

The report alleged that some of Ramaphosa’s main funders were numerous wealthy businesspeople, including mining magnate Nicky Oppenheimer, who reportedly gave R10 million; Pick n Pay founder Raymond Ackerman, who gave R1 million; and eNCA founder, director and owner of Hosken Consolidated Investments Johnny Copelyn, who donated an alleged R2 million on behalf of the news channel. Former Absa CEO Maria Ramos was another alleged donor.

The EFF, who said “these revelations have not been disputed by either [Ramaphosa] or those who funded the campaign”, maintained that the donors should offer proof of a claim the EFF have made several times before – that Ramaphosa was a stooge of white monopoly capital.

“The ANC under his watch will never act against the interests of white monopoly capital,” the statement says.

READ MORE: Daily Maverick rubbishes Ndlozi’s query on the ‘obvious lie’ it received R300K from CR17

“The EFF warned South Africa that Ramaphosa is not clean, transparent or ethical. If Ramaphosa were transparent, he would have voluntarily declared all these donors, as it is required of any member of parliament. But he did not, because he does not want us to ask questions of conflict of interest when his government-appointed individuals like Maria Ramos are put on the PIC board.

“Ramaphosa is a greedy billionaire whose survival is based on tax avoidance, profit shifting, and tax-based erosion that he took part in while serving as a board member at Lonmin. It is impossible to become so rich without compromising the ethics required to hold political office.

“Many more scandals – particularly those that include money – will follow him and always serve as a distraction to his claims of transparency. He is digging his own grave and each day, it becomes deeper. Soon, it will become deeper like all the hell graves greedy capitalists have to be buried in.”

The Sunday Independent article published over the weekend was co-written by a trio that included Piet Rampedi and Mzilikazi wa Afrika – two of the journalists behind now discredited Sunday Times reports on the so-called Sars “rogue unit”. They both parted ways with the Sunday Times after these reports were retracted and apologised for when the media ombudsman found them to be “inaccurate, misleading, and unfair”.

Titled “How the CR17 campaign funds were channelled”, the Sunday Independent piece reported that they had seen the campaign’s bank records, as well as emails and financial statements which identified the beneficiaries of the “R1 billion” campaign fund, who according to the story were “politicians, campaign managers and strategists” who “earned millions for their roles in Ramaphosa’s” successful CR17 campaign for the ANC presidency.

EFF Statement On Ramaphosa Donors. pic.twitter.com/Rxd2pEXNgV

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) August 13, 2019

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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