Arthur Greene
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has confirmed that an investigation has been opened following a complaint made about the burglary which took place on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm in 2020.
A complaint was lodged at Mkhwebane’s office by African Transformation Movement leader Vuyo Zungula over Ramaphosa’s alleged “breach” of the executive ethics code.
Last week, former spy chief Arthur Fraser opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa, accusing him of kidnapping and bribery.
He alleges that after two burglars attempted to steal $4 million (R61.4 million) from his Phala Phala residence in Limpopo, Ramaphosa’s security illegally detained them and paid them to keep quiet.
Announcing the probe in a statement on Wednesday, Mkhwebane said, “The investigation concerning Mr Zungula’s complaint has commenced, with allegations letters already written to sources of information, including President Ramaphosa.”
The public protector went on to say that her office gave her the power to investigate matters related to the Executive Members Ethics Act, despite accusations in the past that she had abused that power.
“The public protector gets a lot of unfair criticism when it comes to investigations conducted in terms of the EMEA, with some media organisations and politicians often accusing the office of ‘targeting’ certain members of the executive and getting involved in party politics.”
Zungula is yet to comment publicly on the complaint but did retweet Mkhwebane’s statement.
