The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) field office in Pretoria to investigate the possibility that President Cyril Ramaphosa was involved in money laundering.

Ramaphosa is accused of concealing a burglary that took place at his Limpopo farm two years ago. It is alleged that millions in foreign currency were stolen. Ramaphosa has said the money was proceeds from game sales but denies that it totalled $4-million, as suggested by former spy boss Arthur Fraser who revealed the information when he opened a case against the President.

On Tuesday, DA leader John Steenhuisen said his party has requested that the FBI consider investigating the source of the funds and whether the money was brought into South Africa legitimately and declared to the relevant authorities.

“We have recommended that the ledgers or journals which would have recorded the alleged sale of wild game at auction be requested from the president, to determine the identities of those involved in the suspicious cash transactions,” he said.

Steenhuisen said a cash transaction involving $4-million is “deeply suspicious”, and more so since it was reported that the cash was then hidden in furniture.

He explained that Ramaphosa should end his silence and be honest with South Africans about his involvement in what the DA calls the DollarGate saga.

Ramaphosa has declined to comment on the matter in media interviews, citing that the matter was an ongoing investigation.

Steenhusien says this does not justify the President’s silence towards many “reasonable questions”.

STEPS TO HOLD PRESIDENT ACCOUNTABLE

Steenhuisen said the DA has taken additional steps to ensure that the President is held accountable for his failure to publicly disclose all relevant details surrounding the theft.

“These nine steps are especially important since new information has come to light in the last few days implicating South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership directly and, therefore, casting doubt on whether SAPS can be trusted to undertake an unbiased investigation,” he said.

The party has requested the Financial Intelligence Centre to investigate the various alleged financial transactions that followed the theft, including the purchase of several luxury vehicles in cash.

Questions were directed to the Tax Fraud Department at the South African Revenue Service and to National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola. The party has also written to the Secretary of Cabinet in the Office of the Presidency Phindile Baleni.

“Specifically, we want to determine if the business activities on the President’s Phala Phala game farm have been declared as financial interests, and when such declarations were made,” Steenhuisen said.

The DA has laid a formal complaint with Deputy Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka and has requested that she investigate the alleged breaches of the Executive Ethics Code.

The party has written to Minister of Public Works Patricia de Lille about the subsequent security upgrades at the President’s Phala Phala farm, and has also written to chairperson of the portfolio committee overseeing the police Tina Joemat-Pettersson requesting that Major-General Wally Rhoode appear before the committee.

Fraser alleged that Ramaphosa sent Rhoode to Namibia to conduct a secret investigation and/or interrogation, into those who were allegedly involved in the burglary.

“It is possible, indeed likely, that this private investigation of a theft that was never formally reported to SAPS was done at the taxpayers’ expense. Mr Rhoode needs to provide an account to Parliament of what had occurred in relation to him and/or the protection unit travelling to Namibia on the President’s instructions,” said Steenhuisen.