South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been implicated in a state probe into a US$36,000 donation he received from Bosasa chief executive Gavin Watson, the ombudsman investigating the issue has said.
Public Protector (Ombudsman) Busisiwe Mkhwebane on Wednesday confirmed Ramaphosa’s implication in a letter she wrote to opposition Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane, saying that she had communicated to the president to respond to the charges of violating the Executive Ethics Code.
In the letter Mkhwebane tells Maimane, who first requested her to investigate the president whether or not he deliberately lied to parliament about the Bosasa firm’s donation.
In the letter the public protector confirms she served the president with a Section 7(9) notice on 30 May. This notice formally notifies a person under a probe that he is implicated in an ongoing ombudsman investigation and is given 10 days to respond to the charges.
Mkhwebane told Maimane that, following the notice, Ramaphosa requested an extension until 28 June to respond to her Bosasa report but she gave him until 21 June to do so.
According to Mkhwebane, the president had also asked to cross-examine some witnesses interviewed as part of her investigation, including Maimane.
“I have requested that President Ramaphosa provide the questions he would want to ask, so that I can determine whether it is justifiable to allow them.”
The president is accused of not telling the truth about the Bosasa donation in Parliament, initially saying it was a donation from his son Andile – only to later “correct” the record that he had no knowledge the donation was made to his campaign for the ANC presidency by Bosasa.
NM/jn/APA