The Presidency says it has noted with concern claims made in the National Assembly on Tuesday that President Cyril Ramaphosa did not answer the question for oral reply on the robbery that occurred at his Limpopo farm in January 2020.
In a statement on Wednesday, The Presidency said that on a proper reading of the question, President Ramaphosa did, in fact, answer the question.
The President virtually appeared before the National Assembly on Tuesday to reply to oral questions during a hybrid sitting.
The question that was posed asked “whether the President considered it prudent to take the nation into his confidence on the serious allegations surrounding his Phala Phala farm by accounting to the people of South Africa and speaking on the specified issue in the National Assembly…”.
The President responded that he stands ready to take the nation into his confidence and that he would do so through the due legal and Parliamentary processes.
“I know there is a great deal of interest in my answer to this question and I’d like to say that, without appearing that I do not want to answer questions, I do … want to be accountable.
“I should say that as I have indicated before, in written replies to Members of this House, in the debate on the Presidency Budget Vote and in statements on various public platforms – I stand ready to cooperate with any investigations on this matter,” the President said on Tuesday.
The President further indicated that he has responded, and will continue to respond, to all the questions that have been put to him by the relevant authorities.
He also indicated that he would cooperate with, and be fully accountable to, the Section 89 process that Parliament has initiated.
“It is clear from the President’s reply that he considers it prudent to account on this matter through the due processes.
“This is consistent with what the President has said from the outset that there is no basis for the claims of criminal conduct that have been made against him, and that he will provide any information that the relevant authorities require,” The Presidency said.
