The entrance to pres. Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm Phala Phala. (Photo: Provided)
ActionSA has sent a formal letter to the Public Protector (PO) in which he asks that the investigation into the controversial theft on Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm Phala Phala is reopened.
The request follows the recent release of a previously confidential report by the independent police investigation directorate (Opod), which the party says points to a systematic cover-up attempt at the highest level of the state.
According to Michael Beaumont, national spokesperson for ActionSA, the released report shows that the scope of the investigation needs to be expanded significantly.
“The original report of the OB on the theft on Phala Phala concentrated on the actions of the president and members of the presidential protection unit. However, what is now clear from the released Opod report is that the investigation must be significantly expanded to also include officials in the president’s immediate circle,” says Beaumont.
One of the key figures who now comes under the magnifying glass is Dr. Bejani Chauke, the president’s envoy for Africa and his former special adviser. Another relevant official who is mentioned in the Opod findings is Genl.maj. Wally Rhoode, head of the presidential protection unit.
According to the Opod report, Chauke traveled to Namibia with members of the presidential protection unit, including Rhoode, using the police’s VIP resources.
ActionSA argues that Chauke was not authorized to use these resources.
Beaumont says that this visit, which at the time was presented as a national security issue, shows suspicious similarities with the timing of the arrest of the main suspect in the Phala Phala robbery in Namibia.
“Chauke’s alleged official reason for the visit could only be approved by the president in his case, while in Rhoode’s case it would have to be authorized by either the national police commissioner or the president.
“The visit would probably also have required coordination with the department of international relations and cooperation.”
Beaumont says the revelations from Opod, especially regarding Chauke, have paved a new way for an investigation into the president’s involvement in a possible cover-up.
Coordinated effort to cover up
ActionSA argues that until now the investigation has only focused on the police’s protection unit, but that Chauke’s involvement opens the door to questions about the president’s own office.
Unlike police officers, who report to the police and the presidency, officials like Chauke fall directly under the authority of the presidency.
“His involvement in an obviously illegal cross-border mission indicates authorization within the presidency and can be interpreted as evidence of a coordinated effort to cover up the theft on Phala Phala.
“Until this point, questions about misconduct have been directed solely at members of the presidential protection unit, but the findings regarding Chauke now call the president’s own office to account.”
Fight for transparency
The release of the Opod report was not an easy process. ActionSA overcame legal and administrative obstacles for more than a year, including multiple applications in terms of the Act on the Promotion of Access to Information (Paia).
Beaumont says the party will not allow the findings of the report, which has been in existence since October 2023, to be ignored any longer.
“ActionSA’s team in parliament has already announced a series of steps, including an appeal to the parliamentary portfolio committees on the presidency and police to investigate the possibility of a political cover-up, as well as the failure of the presidency and the police to respond to the Opod recommendations of October 2023,” he says.
RNE and parliamentary accountability
ActionSA has also sharply criticized the current composition of the parliament, where 70% of the members form part of the government of national unity (GNE). According to Beaumont, this means that these parties have effectively abdicated their responsibility to hold the president accountable.
“An extensive investigation by the OB is essential in light of this new evidence and the serious implications of a possible coordinated attempt to conceal the robbery,” he says.
The party plans to put parliamentary questions to the Minister of Police and the President to demand answers as to why the Opod recommendations have been ignored for almost three years.