Cyril Ramaphosa investigation at an 'advanced stage': Busisiwe Mkhwebane

Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane confirmed on Thursday that her investigation into whether President Cyril Ramaphosa lied to parliament about the R500,000 Bosasa donation is at an "advanced stage". 

However, she has neither confirmed nor denied that she has issued Ramaphosa with a notice that he is implicated in her probe.

In a video entitled "PP: Bosasa investigation ongoing, not yet at a reporting stage", Mkhwebane said she wanted to take the opportunity to deal with the investigation that was lodged by the DA against the president. 

"I've had several media inquiries alleging that I finalised the report or I have issued a section 7(9) notice.

"I would want to put it on record that the investigation is at an advanced stage and the report is not yet ready, so I will announce when that time comes."

The notice is to allow those found to be implicated during the public protector investigation an opportunity to respond.

It is understood by Business Day that Mkhwebane has issued Ramaphosa with a section 7(9) notice, detailing the findings against him, in the same week that she issued such a notice to public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan about many complaints lodged against him by the EFF. 

She confirmed that notice in a YouTube video, but has avoided doing so in respect of her Ramaphosa probe. 

The presidency has referred all queries to the public protector's office. 

Ramaphosa has consistently maintained that he had no intention of misleading parliament when he told the National Assembly in 2018 that his son Andile had received money from Bosasa — now trading as African Global Operations — for services rendered in terms of a consultancy contract.

The presidency later corrected that reply in a letter to then National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete, in which Ramaphosa said the R500,000 payment in question was actually a donation that had been made to his ANC presidential campaign, of which he had previously been unaware.

- BusinessLIVE