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South African President withstand calls to resign

South African President withstand calls to resign

South African President withstand calls to resign

South African President withstand calls to resign

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  • Ramaphosa will not be stepping down or quitting “based on a defective report,” according to his spokesman Vincent Magwenya.
  • Since the report was made public, Ramaphosa himself has been silent.
  • The president also contests Fraser’s assertions that his farm had more than $4 million stored away.
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Despite a damning investigation that revealed he may have covered up the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars at his private game farm, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appears to be prepared to resist calls for his resignation, according to rumours that has persisted for days.

Ramaphosa will not be stepping down or quitting “based on a defective report,” according to his spokesman Vincent Magwenya.

Magwenya continued, “The President has taken to heart the unmistakable message coming from the branches of the governing party who have nominated him to avail himself for a second term of leadership of the ANC (African National Congress).

Ramaphosa was generally anticipated to win a second term as ANC leader before the report’s publication. The highest echelons of the ANC are anticipated to meet soon. The main item on the agenda is likely to be Ramaphosa’s fate.

Since the report was made public, Ramaphosa himself has been silent.

Ramaphosa was elected with the intention of eradicating corruption, but he is currently under investigation in connection with a controversy involving the theft of more than $500,000 in cash from his own game farm in 2020. The panel’s investigation revealed that the money was concealed beneath a leather sofa.

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The panel, which was presided by by a former chief judge, concluded that there was a “deliberate determination to keep the investigation secret” and that the crime had not been reported to the police.

Former South African intelligence chief Arthur Fraser said that a domestic worker helped commit the crime and that it was covered up from the police and the revenue agency. Ramaphosa allegedly paid the offenders for their silence, according to Fraser, whose claims were reported in a report on the probe.
Ramaphosa has insisted that the money came from selling buffalo to a Sudanese businessman at his Phala Phala farm and that the theft was notified to the head of presidential security.

The president also contests Fraser’s assertions that his farm had more than $4 million stored away.

“Some people are disparaging me and my financial situation. I want to reassure you that the money used for all of this came from selling animals. Never once have I stolen any money. Whether it comes from our taxes or anyone else. I never did that. And will never do so,” he declared in June of this year when speaking to African National Congress (ANC) party members.

He is a well-known owner and trader of rare buffalo, cattle, and other wildlife. Thanks to his own private buffalo farm, he has amassed a fortune.

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The panel determined that Ramaphosa could have broken the law and his oath of office by receiving a second income while serving as president and that his answers offered were not yet sufficient.

Although the ANC does have a “step-aside” guideline for wrongdoing, its national spokeswoman Pule Mabe told local television that it only applied to individuals who were “criminally prosecuted.” The ANC’s top executives are scheduled to review the findings.

Impeachment calls

However, closer to home, the issue threatens to terminate Ramaphosa’s political career, with rumours circulating around political circles in the country that he could resign. Ramaphosa was recently feted at Buckingham Palace during the first state visit conducted by King Charles.

The elective conference for the ANC, which is scheduled for mid-December, is likely to be overshadowed by the President’s problems.

The head of South Africa’s official opposition moved quickly to demand early elections and impeachment proceedings.

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“The report is unmistakable and obvious. President Ramaphosa has a case to answer for most certainly violating a number of constitutional clauses. John Steenhuisen, the head of the Democratic Alliance, stated that impeachment proceedings into his actions “must move forward, and he will have to produce considerably better, more complete explanations than we have been given thus far.

Following a motion from a smaller opposition party, the speaker of parliament appointed the panel.

Despite the ANC’s majority of seats, the National Assembly will study the findings and may start impeachment proceedings.

Ramaphosa became office after Jacob Zuma’s forced resignation due to several charges of corruption.

Ramaphosa, a former leader of a trade union and multi-millionaire from his business career, has often stated that his administration will place a focus on combating corruption.

However, the ANC has reportedly been torn apart by factional politics during his leadership. Some of former president Zuma’s loyalists are now publicly calling for Ramaphosa to resign.

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Ramaphosa’s office reaffirmed his claim to the panel shortly after the findings of the report were made public. “I have endeavoured, throughout my tenure as President, not only to abide by my oath but to set an example of respect for the Constitution, for its institutions, for due process, and for the law,” Ramaphosa’s office said. I unequivocally deny any violation of this oath on my part, and I do not accept responsibility for any of the accusations made against me.

 

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