Phala Phala: DA sends Sars documents to public protector to assist its investigation

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted documents from the South African Revenue Service (Sars) to the acting public protector Kholeka Gcaleka, which the party believes will assist in the Chapter 9 institution’s Phala Phala investigation.

The party’s leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement on Tuesday that the “formal declaration” obtained from Sars confirms that Hazim Mustafa – the Sudanese businessman who allegedly paid $580 000 (R10 million) in cash to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm – did not declare the money at all.

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‘Claim’

“President Cyril Ramaphosa had previously claimed that the sum of US dollars stolen from his Phala Phala farm was paid to him for a cattle transaction, the payer of which was Mr Hazim.

“The DA’s initial request to the Public Protector for an investigation into the Phala Phala matter centred around a potential breach of the Executive Ethics Code. However, we now believe that this new information could also point to contraventions of additional laws,” the statement reads.

State entities involved

The DA claims the Phala Phala matter did not begin and end with Ramaphosa, but involves a number of ministries, law enforcement bodies, and state entities – all of which are alleged to be involved in a cover-up operation.

“The multifaceted nature of the theft and subsequent cover up of the theft at Phala Phala also gives credence to the DA’s call for an ad hoc committee in the National Assembly to fully unpack and investigate the matter.

“To date, President Ramaphosa has followed the example of his predecessor by abusing the courts to have the damning Section 89 report overturned, and evading any and all mechanisms for Parliamentary accountability. Getting to the bottom of the Phala Phala debacle is in the interests of all South Africans,” said Steenhuisen.

According to the DA, the entire process is crucial for democratic and parliamentary accountability, “especially in the wake of Jacob Zuma’s presidency which made a ‘mockery’ of South Africa’s institutions and the rule of law”.

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