DA urges Ramaphosa to come clean on Bosasa payment 'once and for all'

If President Cyril Ramaphosa has nothing to hide, then he must release the contract that his son Andile has with Bosasa.

These were the words of DA MP Solly Malatsi on Wednesday afternoon during the second day of the debate on Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address.

Malatsi was referring to a letter that Ramaphosa wrote to DA leader Mmusi Maimane earlier in the day to refuse his request for the contract to be made public. In his brief response to Maimane, Ramaphosa said: “The Presidency cannot provide the information which you require.”

Malatsi charged that it was clear that between the president, his son and Bosasa, “someone is hiding something”.

“Mr President, last year you stood on this platform insisting that you had seen a contract between your son, Andile Ramaphosa, and Bosasa over the R500,000 donated to your family trust,” said Malatsi.

Of the president's refusal to release the contract, Malatsi said: “This is not the behaviour of someone who has nothing to hide."

Malatsi called on Ramaphosa to release the contract between Bosasa and his son when he comes to respond to the debate on Thursday. “I challenge you to answer honestly, once and for all. If you fail to do so, we will see you for who you are: a president who chose to cover up when confronted with an opportunity to be transparent,” he said. 

Ramaphosa is under investigation by the public protector for allegedly misleading parliament when answering a question by Maimane regarding money donated by Bosasa to his presidential campaign.

The president first told parliament last year that his son had a contract with Bosasa, but later said the R500,000 was a donation to his campaign to be elected ANC president. He has denied deliberately misleading parliament.

Malatsi further questioned how Ramaphosa could lead an honest government when he is among a “congregation of the corrupt”. 

“While you play Mr Nice Guy to the corrupt ones in your organisation, we say good riddance to them,” he said.