Time ticks for Ramaphosa to answer for leaked audio as Scopa sends request

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has officially sent a request to President Cyril Ramaphosa to answer questions over allegations of public funds being used for political party campaigns.

This comes after the committee resolved to give Ramaphosa 10 days to account for remarks he made in a leaked audio recording regarding public funds being utilised for political campaigns during the ANC’s 2017 Nasrec elective conference.

The meeting was convened after suspended ANC MP and Scopa whip Mervyn Dirks wrote to the committee, requesting it to summon Ramaphosa to answer questions over the allegations.

In a statement released on Thursday, Scopa chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa indicated the committee will assess Ramaphosa’s written response before deciding on whether to invite the President to provide more information.

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“As per the committee’s decision, President Ramaphosa has 10 working days to respond to the letter.

“After consideration of the President’s written response, the committee will consider whether it is necessary to invite the President to provide additional records or to appear before the committee to answer any further questions on the matter,” Hlengwa said.

Scopa on Tuesday opted against summoning Ramaphosa “because the President has not shown any intention to not cooperate with the committee”.

“We will suspend the issue of the summons at this point,” Hlengwa said at the time.

The committee has the mandate to probe Ramaphosa’s remarks “if, indeed, public funds of any government department or public entity had been utilised for unauthorised purposes”.

Public Protector probe

Dirks told Scopa on Tuesday he wanted Ramaphosa to account to the committee, while also laying a complaint with the office of the Public Protector to investigate the matter.

The investigation was confirmed in a statement on Thursday by Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s office.

Mkhwebane’s spokesperson, Oupa Segalwe said the Public Protector will investigate the alleged breach of the Executive Code of Ethics against Ramaphosa after it received the complaint late afternoon on Wednesday.

Segalwe further indicated the investigation would be completed within 30 days, in line with the Executive Members Ethics Act 82 of 1998 (EMEA).

Leaked audio

In the leaked audio recording – from one of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) meetings last year – Ramaphosa is heard saying he was “willing to fall on the sword” to protect the ANC, instead of revealing the names of party members who had allegedly used public funds for their political campaigns.

ANC’s head of the Presidency, Sibongile Besani has again defended Ramaphosa’s remarks.

During an interview on eNCA, Besani argued the issues that emerged in the recording were already in the public domain.

“At the Zondo Commission one of the senior [State Security Agency] officials made a testimony to the effect that state coffers were used for ANC activities. So the President says this is what we all know and therefore we need to be transparent about it.

“In other words the President makes reference what all of us have heard publicly. He was not referring to something that is not in the public knowledge,” he said.

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He further said the full context of the audio was needed to understand what the President was saying.

“[Ramaphosa’s remarks] shouldn’t be problematic if one has the full context of the meeting. At the meeting, various complaints about some campaigns were brought forward.

“The President, in the context of that meeting, was explaining that he would not want people to divert attention to what was discussed at that point which was the CR17 funds.

“And the President was [saying that it’s important to know the difference between getting money from private people than the ANC receiving money from state coffers].

“So the point that he was trying to make is that we should not drag the name of the ANC [by using state funds] for campaigns,” he added.

Besani previously confirmed the leaked recording was authentic, but dismissed suggestions that Ramaphosa was attempting to shield party members by covering up information on corruption.

Compiled by Molefe Seeletsa. Additional reporting by Getrude Makhafola, Vhahangwele Nemakonde and Thapelo Lekabe.