President Cyril Ramaphosa has maintained his silence beyond citing ‘due process’ in five parliamentary replies to the opposition. But his arrival at the G7 Summit is under a cloud as German media raise the Phala Phala forex scandal.
As G7 leaders meeting at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Germany, Tagesschau has reported on the lack of explanations, presidential political survival and balancing act in the saga that ex-spooks boss Arthur Fraser brought to the police earlier in June. The report headline, roughly translated as “Summit guest with a dearth of explanations”, details issues around the theft of $4-million stashed in couch cushions, which was officially reported to police for investigation.
“Since then South Africa asks: Why did the president keep secret the theft? Is it really about money laundering? (Ramaphosa) is anyway one of the richest South Africans. His private wealth is estimated at $450-million,” says the Tagesschau report. “Why were $4-million hidden – if it really was that much? Is it tax evasion?”
And while the G7 summit is set to focus on Ukraine as Russia’s war moves into its fifth month, Ramaphosa faces difficult questions at home – with mostly silence.
His parliamentary replies, which were published on Monday…
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