Ramaphosa joins the ranks of the damned

THE African proverb that “he who digs a grave for his enemy might as well be digging one for himself” appropriately paraphrases President Cyril Ramaphosa’s predicament in the unfolding drama of Phala Phala. Ramaphosa stands accused of having acted unlawfully in handling the burglary that took place at his Phala Phala game farm in February 2020.

Before the Phala Phala scandal surfaced, Ramaphosa had assiduously portrayed himself as a crusader against corruption. He was seen as a tireless advocate for accountability and transparency. In crafting this image of himself, Ramaphosa enlisted the services of groupings that he could fool all of the time.

Discerning observers could not be swayed by Ramaphosa’s smoke and mirrors escapades. This week Ramaphosa joins the ranks of the damned.

The findings of Parliament’s Section 89 Independent Panel, headed by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, are unequivocal. Ramaphosa is as guilty as hell.

Major news channels echoed coverage by an international television station, Al Jareeza stating that the “alleged cover-up has tarnished the president’s reputation and overshadowed his bid for re-election at the helm of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party”. There is no doubt that he has brought the ANC and the country into serious disrepute.

If truth be told, this is not the first time that Ramaphosa found himself in a sticky situation. He was lucky that his shenanigans were underplayed by mainstream media. Courts have also been helpful in ensuring that some of these do not see the light of day.

In those instances where Ramaphosa was willing to volunteer information, he did himself a disfavour. To calm the increasing noise around Phala Phala, Ramaphosa thought it wise to calm a seemingly concerned gathering. He averred, “I would like to say that I’m a farmer.

“I am in the cattle business and the game business. And through that business, which has been declared in Parliament and all over, I buy and I sell animals. Sometimes people buy these animals – I do it yes, though, the sales are sometimes through cash or sometimes through transfers … And so this that is being reported was a clear business transaction of selling animals.”

Ramaphosa did not end there. In an address to Ankole farmers, Ramaphosa excitedly told his audience that the job of being a president of South Africa was “just a nice one to have”. His passion lay in being the president of the Ankole society.

These admissions placed him on the wrong side of the Constitution’s

Section 96(a) which forbids members of Cabinet from undertaking any other paid work. Ramaphosa was also found to be in contravention of 96(b) which prohibits members of cabinet to “act in any way that is inconsistent with their office, or expose themselves to any situation involving the risk of a conflict between their official responsibilities and private interests”.

This muddle is far bigger than Nkandla. In the Nkandla matter, the former president was found to have unduly benefitted in that “a number of the measures, including buildings and other items constructed and installed by the (Department of Public Works) at the president’s private residence went beyond what was reasonably required for his security”.

Whereas the Nkandla matter was about undue benefit, the Phala Phala matter is about the possibility of violation of several laws. In the case of Nkandla, the Constitutional Court ruled that to “find oneself on the wrong side of section 96, all that needs to be proven is a risk. It does not even have to materialise”.

For now, it appears that Ramaphosa has forgotten his own words. “I have a sense of integrity to step out of the way to say I’m conflicted on this and I have ingrained that in the way I do things so that fingers should not be pointed at one about favouring oneself when you are conflicted.” Integrity is not one of his strong attributes.

The day of reckoning has come at the most inconvenient time for Ramaphosa. But is an opportune moment for the ANC to choose between protecting the interests of one person or those of the ordinary masses that are languishing in squalid and desperate conditions.