![]() This undermined Rhoode’s contention that he was only carrying out a preliminary investigation into the security breach at the farm. This included interviewing witnesses and suspects, doing surveillance and travelling to Cape Town on a hunt for further suspects. The evidence suggested that Rhoode assembled his own investigation team, including Rekhoto, and subsequently carried out “an unofficial criminal investigation”. No case docket was opened, so an official investigation could not be conducted. The public protector was not provided with any proof by Gen Rhoode to support the assertion that he reported the matter to Gen Mfazi, who has since passed away.” “Instead, Gen Rhoode alleges that he reported the crime to Gen Mfazi, the then national head of SAPS Detection Service. The public protector said the allegation that members of the police attached to the presidential protection unit acted improperly by investigating the burglary could not be substantiated.īut the report faults Rhoode for proceeding with an investigation without properly reporting the crime to his commanding officer. It then follows that his conduct cannot be regarded as improper in terms of section 182(1) of the Constitution or an abuse of power as contemplated in section 6(4)(a)(ii) of the Public Protector Act. Thus there is no substance to the complaint that he violated section 2 of the Executive Ethics Code. Gcaleka found that there was no evidence that the president abused his power in using state resources to deploy the presidential protection unit to guard the farm and to investigate the burglary. Rhoode confirmed that Ramaphosa reported the matter to him, without giving him specific instructions on how to deal with it. “The evidence placed before the public protector neither supports the allegation that the president failed to report the crime of housebreaking with the intent to steal and theft of cash in foreign currency at his residence in Phala Phala farm, nor does it support the allegation of abuse of power in utilising state resources by causing the PPS to be deployed to Phala Phala farm and to investigate the crime of housebreaking with the intent to steal and theft at Phala Phala farm,” the report said.Įvidence showed that Ramaphosa had reported the security breach to Rhoode on 10 February 2020 and the theft of the money on 2 March 2020, when he became aware of it. Gcaleka found Ramaphosa did not fail to report the burglary as alleged by former State Security Agency boss Arthur Fraser in his affidavit to the police when he laid charges against Ramaphosa in June 2022. Ramaphosa also played “no role” in the sale of buffalo to Sudanese billionaire Mustafa Mohamed Ibrahim Hazim for $580 000 (based on the exchange rate at the time) on 26 December 2019, according to the report. In light of this, the public protector found there was no basis upon which to conclude that Ramaphosa had contravened the ethics code. “The public protector finds that to have a financial interest in a business is distinguishable from working, being employed and receiving remuneration for contributing to the operations of the business.” Turning to the allegation that Ramaphosa was undertaking paid work while in office, the report found that there was no evidence to support this. ![]() “Therefore, the evidence before the public protector does not support the allegation that the president’s financial interests in game and cattle farming at Phala Phala farm exposes him to any situation involving the risk of a conflict between his official responsibilities and his private interests.” ![]() The public protector’s investigators could not find evidence showing that Ramaphosa was “actively involved in the day-to-day operations of Ntaba Nyoni or Phala Phala farm”. ![]() The report found the allegation that the president had violated the Executive Ethics Code and that there was a conflict of interest between his business interests and his constitutional obligations “is not substantiated.” The investigation by Rhoode and Sergeant Hlulani Rekhoto into the case of housebreaking with the intent to steal and theft was “inconsistent with the SAPS Act”. In the report - sent to implicated and affected persons for comment on Friday - Gcaleka found Rhoode and other members also “neglected to ensure that a case docket was opened”. The public protector found that the then head of the South African Police Service (SAPS) presidential protection service (PPS), General Wally Rhoode, and other members “acted improperly” in investigating the crime. Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty ImagesĪ preliminary report by public protector Kholeka Gcaleka has cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing with regard to the theft of R8 million in US dollars from his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo during February 2020. ![]()
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