Dylan Bettencourt
President Cyril Ramaphosa has rubbished allegations made against him by former spy boss Arthur Fraser.
A statement issued by Fraser on Wednesday said that he had pressed charges against Ramaphosa for the theft of over “four million US dollars” (R62 million) from the president’s farm in Bela-Bela, Limpopo.
The former spy boss revealed that he handed the police evidence that showed that Ramaphosa “concealed the crime” from both SAPS and SARS.
The Presidency on Wednesday responded to the allegations with Ramaphosa confirming there was a robbery at the farm, but that he reported the crime at the time and in no way acted criminally.
“President Ramaphosa is clear that there is no basis for the claims of criminal conduct that have been made against him in Mr Fraser’s statement.
“The Presidency can confirm that a robbery took place at the President’s farm in Limpopo on or around 9 February 2020 in which proceeds from the sale of game were stolen,” the statement wrote.
The charges placed against Ramaphosa include defeating the ends of justice, kidnapping and bribery.
“The details of the charges and the supporting evidence, including photographs, bank accounts, video footage and names are contained in my statement filed with the Rosebank Police Station,” Fraser’s statement added.
The former spy added that Ramaphosa conspired with “criminals” who were working with the domestic workers on the farm.
The Presidency’s statement added that Ramaphosa was attending an African Union meeting in Ethiopia when the incident occured, adding that the matter was reported to the police for investigation.
Ramaphosa is said to be ready and willing to engage with any authorities regarding the allegations.
“President Ramaphosa stands ready to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation of these matters,” the statement wrote.
