JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
Embroiled in a burglary scandal, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will appear before his party’s Integrity Commission, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) said Monday.
The ANC “welcomed and
commended the decision by the president to voluntarily present himself to the
ANC Integrity Commission,” it said in a statement, without specifying a date.
Dogged by political
infighting, the ANC is trying to overhaul itself by stamping out corruption,
with members facing criminal proceedings being systematically suspended.
The party is expected to
nominate its candidate for the 2024 national election in the next few months.
ALSO READ: South Africa’s president faces probe over unreported theft
Since last week, Ramaphosa,
69, has been weakened by accusations that he was complicit in buying the
silence of burglars who stumbled on large sums of money at one of his
properties.
The case began in February
2020, according to the complaint filed Wednesday at a Johannesburg police
station by former South African intelligence chief Arthur Fraser.
Robbers allegedly broke into
Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in the northeast of the country where they found
$4 million in cash hidden in furniture.
Ramaphosa himself has disputed
the sum of money in question, but accepted that he buys and sells animals
“sometimes through cash sometimes through transfers.”
“I’ve never stolen money from
anywhere and I will never do so. I have never stolen from taxpayers,” Ramaphosa
added.
The case accuses Ramaphosa of
concealing the theft from police and the tax authorities.
It sensationally alleges that
the president then “paid” the burglars “for their silence.”
Fraser, who said he provided
police with “photos, bank accounts, names and videos,” accused Ramaphosa of
obstruction of justice and organizing for the suspects to be kidnapped,
interrogated on his property and paid off.
In the past, members of the
ANC have been removed from office following the Integrity Commission’s
recommendations.
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