Politics

South African parliament grills President Ramaphosa over bribery, theft allegations

Published

2 years ago

June 10, 2022

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was on Thursday, grilled for hours by opposition politicians in Parliament over an allegation of bribery, kidnapping and theft at his Phala Phala Farm.

The opposition politicians led by Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), have insisted that Ramaphosa should step down from office pending a criminal investigation into allegations that he covered up the theft from his rural game farm.

The allegations were contained in a legal complaint filed by a former head of the South African intelligence agency, Arthur Fraser, who accused Ramaphosa of “kidnapping and bribing robbers who stole millions of dollars from one of his properties” in a bid to “conceal the crime from the South African police service and the South African revenue service.”

Fraser had alleged that the robbers had stolen $4 million from the President’s ranch in the northern Limpopo province in 2020 but the theft was not reported, which is a crime on it’s own, with opposition politicians calling for Ramaphosa’s removal from office.

Ramaphosa later confirmed the burglary but said the stolen cash was from the sale game animals on his farm. The President also denied not reporting the theft as he said that he reported it to the head of his personal protection unit but not to the police.

The scandal is seen as a major blow to Ramaphosa’s image as a leader who rode into power on the promise of stamping out corruption in South Africa.

The Economic Freedom Fighters, the second-largest opposition party in Parliament, says it has briefed its lawyers to launch legal proceedings to force Ramaphosa to step down pending the criminal investigation, while another opposition party, the United Democratic Movement, says it has formally requested Parliament to launch its own probe into the matter and for Ramaphosa to appear before it.

Some of the questions Ramaphosa was asked included “how much money in U.S. dollars was stolen from his farm? Where did the money come from? Was the foreign exchange declared to the South African Revenue Service?”

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Politics

S’Africa lengthens troop deployment in Mozambique, Congo DR

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a speech that South Africa’s military would keep sending troops to Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which are both in the middle of wars.

The extension will leave 1,198 members of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) in eastern Congo for an unknown amount of time. They are there as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force helping Congo fight rebel groups.

The statement also said that 1,495 members of the SANDF would keep working in Mozambique, where they have been since 2021 helping the government fight dangerous extremism in the north.

After two SANDF troops were killed and three were hurt by a mortar bomb in Congo in February, South Africa’s military operations abroad have been looked at more closely at home this year.

Meanwhile, the major opposition party in South Africa, the Democratic Alliance, said that Ramaphosa sent troops into a war zone without being ready.
Under the supervision of the UN, the SANDF has taken on many dangerous and difficult peacekeeping tasks over the years to help war-torn African countries stay stable and peaceful.

In 2003, South Africa was one of the first countries to send troops to Burundi to help the peace process. During the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) peacekeeping mission in 2000, the SANDF led attempts to stabilize the country’s politics, rebuild and improve infrastructure, and train DRC troops.

Politics

Digital Rights: Policy enthusiast, Jere, advocates self-regulation as alternative to govt regulations

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Copperbelt businessman and mining policy advocate, George Jere, has highlighted the importance of self-regulation in the expanding digital media landscape, countering arguments against freedom of speech.

In an exclusive discussion with Zambia Monitor, Jere challenged notions surrounding media freedom and digital rights, emphasizing the indispensable role of effective media instruments in national progress.

“Digital media’s unrestricted nature facilitates publishing, although tracking those behind it poses challenges for government intervention,” Jere remarked, advocating for self-regulation as a preferable alternative to government restrictions.

He stressed the need for a balanced approach between private and public media operations, criticizing the high level of censorship in public media channels.

“While cyber security laws fall short, self-regulation offers a more effective solution for managing digital platforms,” Jere asserted, expressing disappointment in the government’s failure to enact comprehensive media reforms.

Jere cautioned against subjective regulations aimed at suppressing dissenting voices, urging authorities to reconsider laws through inclusive consultations.

“Media freedom should extend to all, including rural communities, chiefs, and church leaders, across traditional, social, and digital platforms,” he emphasized.

Reflecting on public media governance, Jere noted its tendency to align with ruling interests, calling for fairer recruitment processes for media executives to ensure unbiased coverage.

Regarding proposed taxes on online livestream programmes, Jere questioned the necessity of double taxation, suggesting negotiation of percentage-based levies to support domestic resource mobilization without unfairly targeting individuals.

As debates on freedom of speech and media regulation continue, Jere remained steadfast in advocating for inclusive, balanced media practices to foster national development.

This story is sponsored content from Zambia Monitor’s Project Aliyense.