‘Ramaphosa must resign’: Carl Niehaus joins Arthur Fraser and lays charges

Former Mkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) spokesperson Carl Niehaus has laid charges of money laundering, kidnapping and corruption against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Almost two weeks ago, former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general Arthur Fraser laid the charges against Ramaphosa in connection to the $4 million theft scandal.

Ramaphosa has come under fire for the incident, which happened at his Phala Phala farm in Waterberg, Limpopo, after Fraser claimed that the suspects who broke into the president’s property were subsequently kidnapped, interrogated and paid off to keep silent.

Now Niehaus, who was joined by a group of ANC members at the Rosebank police station on Monday morning, has campaigned against the president and called for his resignation.

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“This action of laying charges echoing and supporting the charges that Mr Arthur Fraser had laid is in line with an overall campaign to ensure that President Ramaphosa will be held accounted for his criminal actions, and to support a nation wide campaign that President Ramaphosa must resign as President of the ANC as well as President of Smith Africa. All South Africans are urged to lay similar charges,” Niehaus said, whose ANC membership was temporarily suspended last year.

Niehaus further told Jacaranda News that the police should be allowed to do their work without any hindrance.

“We do not want any obstruction of the law, we do not want him to try and avoid legal processes. I sincerely hope that the police will carry out their duties diligently.

“The police must not allow themselves to be intimidated by the fact that this is the president of South Africa that has serious charges against him. The president, like any citizen, must be treated equally,” he said.

Investigation docket

The ANC said Ramaphosa would not step aside and confirmed that he would voluntarily present himself to the party’s integrity commission following a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting.

The governing party said the ANC president would be afforded the opportunity to address the allegations by Fraser.

Even Ramaphosa himself said the ANC’s step aside rule would be enforced against him if he is charged.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has since indicated that it has not received any case for prosecution against the president.

READ MORE: Ramaphosa’s $4 million Dollargate: ‘This is not the end of the story,’ say analysts

The National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) head, Shamila Batohi, told SABC that the NPA is yet to receive the docket, which is with the Hawks at the moment, for possible prosecution.

The Hawks received the docket into the robbery from the South African Police Service (Saps) last week.

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo indicated that the robbery and Fraser’s criminal charges were being looked at.

The investigating directorate could also rope in Namibian President Hage Geingob, who has denied the allegations against him, into the probe.

Geingob has been accused of offering assistance to Ramaphosa in apprehending one of the suspects who allegedly fled to Namibia after the robbery, which, according to the Presidency, took place around February 2020.

No inquiry

Meanwhile, Parliament confirmed on Monday that an inquiry into Ramaphosa will not be established.

National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula rejected requests from the opposition after considering the “substantive issues raised” on the robbery.

The African Transformational Movement (ATM) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM) had written to the Speaker asking that a parliamentary inquiry and investigation into the matter be established so that Ramphosa could account for failing to report the robbery to the authorities.

READ MORE: Ramaphosa refuses to provide key details of $4 million robbery

Mapisa-Nqakula also declined the UDM’s request for Ramaphosa to be placed on sabbatical leave.

The Public Protector’s office is investigating Ramaphosa for allegedly breaching the Executive Code of Ethics in relation to the robbery.

The complaint was lodged by the ATM, with the investigation and report into the incident expected be completed in 30 days.