‘I guess Ramaphosa has lost faith in the police’ — Herman Mashaba on farm burglary

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s loss of faith in the police service is the only plausible reason he did not report the theft of money from his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo, says ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba. 

Mashaba and One SA Movement chief activist Mmusi Maimane weighed in on Ramaphosa’s stolen millions and his failure to alert police about the theft. 

“I guess the president has subsequently lost faith in the police service to even worry to report [the] theft of huge volumes of US currencies from his farm. I am trying to find a credible reason for his decision not to report. Shall await his response,” said Mashaba. 

Maimane questioned a commitment made by the president that he would take his son Andile to the nearest police station in response to allegations of criminality against him. Maimane said it did not make any sense that he would then fail to report his own burglary.

“Balance me? The president said to the nation he would even take his own son directly to the police station if he suspected a crime, but then failed to report a crime at the police station when a large sum of foreign currency was stolen from him,” Maimane said on Tuesday.

Ramaphosa has been embroiled in controversy after ex-spy boss Arthur Fraser laid criminal charges against him at the Rosebank police station last week emanating “from the theft of millions of US dollars, (reportedly more than $4m) concealed within the premises of the president’s Phala Phala farm in Waterberg by criminals who were [allegedly] colluding with his domestic worker”.

Fraser accused Ramaphosa of concealing the crime from the police and/or the SA Revenue Service, and claimed to be in possession of evidence showing the incident happened in February 2020.

Ramaphosa has denied involvement in criminal activity.

His spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa reported the incident to the head of the Presidential Protection Unit of the police service for investigation.

Police minister Bheki Cele told journalists on Friday he is not privy to cases under investigation by authorities, and police do not report directly to him about ongoing investigations.

“Nobody reports cases to me. They investigate, take them to court and many of those cases, I will see at court. This one was opened a few days ago. Like all other cases, it will be investigated.”

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