South Africa: President Ramaphosa heckled in Parliament over the case of his burglary
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during the presentation of the state budget in Cape Town on April 9, 2022, after a delay in his speech due to opposition protests.
© Nardus Engelbrecht / AP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The scandal around the South African president is growing.
Thursday, June 9, Cyril Ramaphosa was violently attacked by the opposition, while trying to present the state budget to Parliament.
He was arrested on charges that he bought the silence of burglars who discovered the equivalent of 3.8 million euros in cash at one of his properties.
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Hardly had the Head of State spoken when the members of Parliament took him to task for an hour.
"
We cannot accept that a man accused of such serious crimes should address Parliament
", launched the deputies of a political formation, accusing Cyril Ramaphosa of "
money laundering
" and of being a "
criminal
" .
The head of state
is accused of having concealed
the equivalent of 3.8 million euros – in cash and foreign currencies – in one of his properties.
As well as having bought the silence of the burglars who discovered the loot two years ago.
President Ramaphosa dismissed the charges as "
political
", admitting that there had been a burglary, but that the sum was less significant, the proceeds of a legal transaction.
These explanations did not convince.
A complaint was filed and the mediator of the republic, responsible for monitoring the actions of the executive, announced the opening of an investigation.
His own party's integrity commission is due to hear him soon.
"It looks like a mafia movie!"
»
Very serious accusations, alarmed John Steenhuisen, leader of the main opposition party, before the parliamentarians: “
How much money have you hidden in your properties
?
You say that this money comes from the sale of animals, that the charges against you are "political" and that you have not done anything illegal.
But why hide money, cover up this burglary and pay thieves to keep quiet
?
It looks like a mafia movie
!
»
After more than an hour of chaos in the hemicycle, the head of state was finally able to speak.
But only after being seriously challenged.
In his speech, the head of state said he was the victim of "
dirty tricks
" and "
intimidation
", assuring that he would not be "
dissuaded by threats
".
When he came to power four years ago, Cyril Ramaphosa promised to make the fight against corruption his priority, after
years of scandals under his predecessor Jacob Zuma
.
A South African opposition member is evacuated from Parliament in Cape Town for repeatedly interrupting President Cyril Ramaphosa's speech on June 9, 2022. © Nardus Engelbrecht / AP
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South Africa
Cyril Ramaphosa
Corruption