THE Office of the President in Pretoria has dismissed allegations of criminal conduct made by former spy boss and former Correctional Services commissioner Arthur Fraser against President Cyril Ramaphosa, describing them as pat of a disinformation campaign.
In a statement on Thursday, the Presidency, however, confirmed that a robbery did indeed occur at his farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
This comes after Fraser claimed that he had provided police with evidence showing Ramaphosa concealed the crime from them and the suspects had been kidnapped and interrogated.
“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 said in a 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 President was attending an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa at the time the incident occurred. On being advised of the robbery, President Ramaphosa reported the incident to the head of the Presidential Protection Unit of the South African Police Service for investigation.”
The Presidency added: “President Ramaphosa stands ready to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation of these matters.”
“President Ramaphosa remains resolute in leading the fight against corruption, restoring the integrity and capability of public institutions and overcoming the legacy of state capture, and will not be deterred by disinformation campaigns.”
Fraser has alleged that suspects colluding with Ramaphosa’s domestic worker stole around $4-million.
He said they were kidnapped and interrogated on the President’s property and later bribed for their silence.
He also claimed Ramaphosa concealed the crime from both the police and SA Revenue Services (SARS).
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