Cyril Ramaphosa finally opens up about Phala Phala — but opponents call for his head

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa's move to brief the ANC national executive committee about the Phala Phala scandal on Friday did not stop his rivals from calling on him to step aside from his position.

The calls for Ramaphosa's ahead are said to have been led by one of his senior ministers, co-operative governance minister Nkosazane Dlamini-Zuma, at the ANC NEC meeting held at the Nasrec Expo Centre. The debate is expected to continue on Saturday.

NEC members who attended Friday's meeting told TimesLIVE the president voluntarily spoke about the matter during his opening speech. They said he told the meeting the money stolen at his Phala Phala farm was proceeds of a legitimate business transaction.

Insiders said Ramaphosa told them he has declared every aspect of the business to the relevant authorities.

Senior party leaders, who asked not to be named, said Ramaphosa went as far as taking them into his confidence about his submission to the parliamentary panel probing whether he has a case to answer for on the matter.

This was regarded by party leaders as a calculated move to “disarm” his opponents who came to the meeting to call for his removal.

TimesLIVE on Friday reported that the party’s integrity commission had called for Ramaphosa to take the NEC into his confidence on the matter as it continued to bring the party into disrepute.

“I think he disarmed a lot of people by stating his defence to parliament. The problem is that the more they delayed in giving a public explanation, the more damage it caused. I think he should’ve given this explanation to the public earlier,” said an NEC member.

“I think they are confident that what [Arthur] Fraser said is all hearsay because he was confident when he spoke. But of course you can see he’s managing us. Now it becomes ‘but it’s his money, what law did he violate? Which law?’”

Another ANC leader said Ramaphosa, in his political overview, was frank and told the meeting he was not around when a businessman descended on his farm to purchase a buffalo and that he could not have known that those at his farm then kept the money in couches and mattresses.

“The president has finally brought us into his confidence. But the establishment of the truth still lies with the law enforcement agency. The NEC can’t establish the truth. The IC can question him, we can't. But now they can’t do anything because the matter is in court but at least he told us. It should’ve happened a long time ago, this explanation.”

Ramaphosa’s explanation was however rejected by several NEC members who called for him to step aside and pressed him on why if the business was legitimate as he claimed there was a need to hide the money in the mattress.

Dlamini-Zuma, S'dumo Dlamini, Tony Yengeni and Tandi Mahambehlala are said to have argued that Ramaphosa must step aside from his position as the president of both the country and the ANC.

Ramaphosa raised the issue in his speech before it comes up when the integrity commission report on Phala Phala gets tabled on Saturday.

“He gives a report and the next he says he’s been selling these buffaloes for years. Then he says he has declared but he couldn’t explain why he banks his money in the mattress. Then they went for him on that. They then stopped discussions, because it was getting hot. They said we’ll continue tomorrow,” said another NEC member.

Several NEC members who spoke to TimesLIVE after the meeting confirmed that Ramaphosa was asked to step aside as his continued presence as party leader was harming the ANC.

“Phala Phala has dented the image and integrity of the ANC severely. Second, he has made certain admissions in public about what happened,” said the NEC member.

“Third, in the public domain people are not questioning him, they are questioning the whole ANC and purely on the basis of those reasons he should step aside like everybody else before him.”

Another reason advanced at the meeting by those who not only want the president to step aside but are against him getting a second term was that investigations into the Phala Phala scandal would impede the work of agencies that should establish the facts of what happened.

“The other issue is that as long as he is there, there will be a perception that he is interfering with the investigation. People he has appointed, whether it's the Reserve Bank or Sars, they will feel obliged to protect him,” the NEC member added.

But Ramaphosa's detractors on Friday also brought up the matter of campaign funds for his 2017 presidential bid, which remain sealed.

The NEC member who spoke on condition of anonymity said the push for Ramaphosa to step aside is also informed by sealed bank statements. 

“So here is a man, who is presiding over the ANC, who has major and very serious allegations around him — not only that he wants a second term — so we are saying to him you must leave now, forget about a second term,” said the insider.

Another NEC member who spoke to TimesLIVE after the meeting said Ramaphosa received no protection against the onslaught.

“None of his allies came up to defend him, they rather dealt with issues around the economy, Eskom. But none stood up to say give the president a chance for a second term. It is becoming clearer that this thing is a misnomer,” the source said.

Two NEC members however said Ramaphosa defended himself, saying he is not guilty of any wrongdoing.

TimesLIVE

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