South Africa’s political parties want the country’s law enforcement agencies to probe claims that funds allegedly belonging to late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were secretly kept at former president Jacob Zuma’s residence in Nkandla Village in Eastern Cape Province, APA has learnt.
Monday’s calls from party leaders came after a news report on Sunday claimed that President Cyril Ramaphosa was asked to recover an estimated US$30 million that was allegedly kept at a bunker in Zuma’s home in Nkandla before being secretly moved to neighbouring eSwatini (formerly Swaziland).
The report in the Sunday Times newspaper said that Ramaphosa had met eSwatini’s King Mswati III at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg last Thursday where the monarch confirmed the presence of the funds in his country.
Reacting to the reports, opposition Democratic Alliance spokesperson Solly Malatsi said “the President (Ramaphosa) needs to aid in recovering these millions and to ensure that the National Prosecuting Authority holds Zuma accountable for his actions.”
Opposition Congress of the People spokesperson Dennis Bloem said the matter should not be taken for granted.
“If any criminality was committed by anybody in the country, the Hawks (police crack unit) must intervene and investigate this case of theft,” he said.
Opposition United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said: “I don’t think you can trust the African National Congress (government) and Zuma on this. The best advice I have is for the international community to be involved to establish how much was this money.”
The government, through International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, said: “When we went to Swaziland recently there were rumours that the (Gaddafi) money was in Swaziland. There is no money in Swaziland. It’s a ghost story.”
NM/jn/APA