Affairs scandal laid to rest
DEPUTY President Cyril Ramaphosa has backtracked on his earlier decision to come clean on his alleged extramarital affairs after he received advice from ANC leaders and party structures.
Ramaphosa’s decision in Parliament yesterday came after the ANC in the Northern Cape urged him not to disclose to the public, details of his private life.
Cosatu took a similar stance a few weeks ago that his private life did not mean he did not qualify to lead the ANC in December.
Ramaphosa raised the issue in the National Council of Provinces, after the EFF asked how it would impact on his leadership.
When he was addressing the National Assembly last week, Ramaphosa said he was going to come clean on the matter.
But yesterday he said he was no longer going to do it.
“I did say in the National Assembly I will be dealing with this matter in a day or two. I was counselled by leaders in the movement and structures in the lower level on the West Rand who said ‘you took responsibility and you have discussed it with your wife and family’, they said I should not take it further,” said Ramaphosa.
He said when he raised the issue in the National Assembly last week, some of the leaders in the ANC said he cannot raise it there.
“I take responsibility. I discussed it with my family and my wife, and I take responsibility for that,” he said.
“I take instructions from my organisation and structures that this matter has been addressed,” he said. Ramaphosa’s alleged extramarital affairs have been the subject of public discussion since the Sunday Independent published the story two weeks ago.
However, Ramaphosa put the matter to rest and said he would no longer address it in public.
The deputy president also spoke out against state capture, saying this had to be investigated.
He said institutions meant to investigate state capture jad to do their work.
The National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks have been accused of dragging their feet in investigating the leaked Gupta e-mails and the public protector’s report.
NPA head Shaun Abrahams last week defended his decision in Parliament and said they were conducting seven investigations involving Eskom and Transnet and Gupta-linked companies, Trillian and Tegeta.
“I have been very clear on this matter and I have said those institutions whose job is to investigate must act,” he said.
He said he hoped law enforcement agencies would begin with the investigations.
This is what the public was expecting the law enforcement agencies to do.
“Let us give them an opportunity and a chance to do their work,” said Ramaphosa.
President Jacob Zuma was this week taken to the High Court in Pretoria to force him to appoint a commission of inquiry into state capture.
This followed the recommendation by former public otector Thuli Madonsela that Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng must appoint the judge to lead the inquiry.