The country will on Wednesday know what the independent panel appointed by parliament to look into whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer over the theft of millions at his Phala Phala game farm has found.
The panel is chaired by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, who is assisted by retired judge Thokozile Masipa and advocate Mahlape Sello.
Ngcobo informed the speaker of the national assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula that the panel will make the report public this week.
“We write to confirm that the panel is on track to hand deliver its report on 30 November 2022. Given the huge public interest in the report, and in particular, that the panel complies with the extended deadline, we have considered it necessary for the handover of the report to take place in public,” the letter dated November 23 reads.
The contents of the report might hold sway over how ANC delegates vote in December’s hotly contested elective conference. Ramaphosa is currently sitting pretty in the race for the ANC presidency after getting nominated by 2037 branches, more than double that of Zweli Mkhize.
Sunday World reported in October that Ramaphosa’s trusted lieutenant Wally Rhoode hangs in the balance after he was slapped with three (far-reaching) charges over his alleged failure to report the multi-million-rand theft that took place at Ramaphosa’s game farm more than two years ago.
Rhoode, the demoted head of the presidential protection unit (PPU), has been slapped with a notice of suspension related to his role in the Phala Phala theft, during which it was alleged by former State Security Agency boss Arthur Fraser that $4-million (R61-million) was stolen at Ramaphosa’s farm in Limpopo.
It is not clear whether charges preferred against Rhoode constitute a lifeline for Ramaphosa, who has since been engulfed in a heavy political storm since the scandal broke.
In June, Fraser reported a kidnapping and money laundering case against Ramaphosa, Rhoode, and Crime Intelligence members for allegedly concealing and not officially reporting the burglary at the president’s farm in February 2020.
Fraser named Imanuwela David, Errki Shikongo, Petrus Muhekeni, Shaumbwako and Petrus Afrikaner as the alleged perpetrators of the heist.
The former spy boss, who is largely seen as an ally of former president Jacob Zuma, also alleged people suspected of being involved were questioned in an off-book operation.
He claimed that immediately after the incident, Rhoode, constituted a team of former police and serving members of crime intelligence to hunt down the suspects all the way to Namibia.
In July, police national commissioner Fanie Masemola, who had just ascended to his post, announced that Rhoode would no longer report directly to the commissioner but to divisional commissioner of protection and security service Samson Shitlabane, a move that could be viewed as side-lining the major-general, who was head of security during Ramaphosa’s 2017 campaign to be ANC president.
In September, Shitlabane served Rhoode with a notice that he was under investigation for serious misconduct related to the Phala Phala scandal, which was subject to multiple investigations by the Hawks, Parliament and the Office of the Public Protector.
Rhoode is facing three charges of serious misconduct, including that he failed to open a case after the break-in at the farm and instead decided to conduct an investigation himself.
“You allegedly committed misconduct on 2020-06-04 at or near Phala Phala Game Farm by directing the police officers to do away with the occurrence book where the second incident was reported and that the incident must not be reported,” the notice, which Sunday World has seen, reads.
“On 2020-06-26 to 2020-06-27, you allegedly committed misconduct by misrepresenting the facts to the national commissioner when you indicated in terms of your itinerary that you were travelling to Namibia for protection duties of the president, whereas in truth the president did not travel to Namibia and had no plans of travelling to that country.”
The fear among those close to Rhoode is that the disciplinary charges he is facing read like the police top brass are preparing criminal charges (of defeating the ends of justice) against him.
In representations on why he should not be suspended, it is understood that Rhoode denied the allegations against him, saying his accusers wanted to compromise Ramaphosa’s security.
On the trip to Namibia, Rhoode contends he had accompanied Ramaphosa’s adviser, Bejani Chauke, on official duty.
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