Ramaphosa farm robbery: ATM submits second inquiry request to Parliament

The African Transformational Movement (ATM) is not backing down in its bid to force President Cyril Ramaphosa to account to Parliament regarding the $4 million robbery saga.

On Tuesday, the ATM submitted another request to Parliament for the establishment of an inquiry into Ramaphosa relating to the February 2020 robbery at his Phala Phala farm in Waterberg, Limpopo.

The matter comes after National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Monday rejected the ATM’s initial request for a Section 89 inquiry after considering the “substantive issues raised” on the matter.

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Mapisa-Nqakula said the party’s request inquiry was not accompanied by substantive motions as required by Parliament’s rules.

“The rules further indicate that such a motion must be limited to a formulated and substantiated charge, and all evidence for consideration must be attached.

“These requirements were not complied with in the ATM’s submission. Further, there was no provision in the Executive Members’ Ethics Act (1998) for the referral to the National Assembly of allegations of breaches by the president.”

‘Violated the Constitution’

The ATM has since submitted its motion, with the party attaching supporting evidence on why it was calling for an inquiry over the allegations that Ramaphosa breached the Prevention of Organised Crime Act by not reporting the robbery at his farm.

Former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general Arthur Fraser laid the criminal charges against Ramaphosa almost two weeks ago.

Fraser has claimed that the suspects who broke into the president’s property were subsequently kidnapped, interrogated and paid off to keep silent, therefore, the crime was not report to the South African Police Service (Saps).

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“It is common cause that Mr Arthur Fraser has submitted evidence at the Rosebank police station where the president is implicated in serious crimes, including bribery, money laundering, kidnapping, breaching of customs and excise laws, breaching of Sars [South African Revenue Service] regulations, breaching the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, defeating the ends of justice, to mention but a few.

“[The] ATM will only focus on the areas where transgressions are neither contested nor in dispute. Incidentally, these areas are the areas where Parliament has exclusive jurisdiction,” ATM president Vuyo Zungula said in the motion.

Zungula argued that Ramaphosa violated certain sections of the Constitution, including Section 96(2)(a) states that Cabinet members and deputy ministers may not “undertake any other paid work”.

“In response to widely publicised criminal allegations by Mr Arthur Fraser, the president, whilst addressing Limpopo ANC conference delegates and media, is on record saying, I’m a farmer, I am in the cattle business and the game business… I buy and I sell animals…This that is being reported was a clear business transaction of selling animals,” he said.

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“In his own words, the president has confirmed that he is actively running his farming business and thus, contrary to the provisions of the Constitution as cited above, the president is doing other paid work.

“The evidence of this confirmation of a violation of the Constitution is in the attached YouTube clip. This also means the president misled the nation when in 2014, on assuming office as deputy president, he said that a blind trust would manage all his business interests,” Zungula added.

‘Sabbatical leave’

Zungula on Monday slammed Sars, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and the Department of Home Affairs for “keeping mum” on allegations against Ramaphosa. 

He said in a tweet that the Public Protector’s office was “the only institution” that had launched an investigation – which is expected be completed in 30 days – into the president’s alleged conduct. 

Meanwhile, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) had requested for a parliamentary investigation into Ramaphosa, and for the president to be put on sabbatical leave.

But the party’s submission was also declined by Mapisa-Nqakula on the grounds that it did not constitute, nor was it accompanied by, a substantive motion.

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