South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been cleared of any wrongdoing by a public watchdog over a scandal involving the theft of more than U.S.$500,000 that had been stashed in a sofa at his game farm. Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka, whose office holds politicans to account, said Ramaphosa did not violate the ethics code for members of South Africa's executive over the incident, which happened in 2020 but was only revealed publicly in 2022.
The Phala Phala scandal tarnished Ramaphosa's reputation as an anti-corruption champion. The robbery was first brought to light by Arthur Fraser, the country's former head of the State Security Agency and a close ally of South Africa's disgraced former president, Jacob Zuma. Ramaphosa then faced impeachment after an independent panel found that he may have violated anti-corruption law during the investigation of a robbery at his farm.
In December 2022, South Africa's parliament voted against starting impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over a report that says he held undeclared foreign currency at his farm in 2020. Now opposition parties have rejected Acting Public Protector Advocate Koleka Gcaleka's ruling. Ramaphosa was accused of violating the Executive Members Ethics Act and abusing the power of his office to investigate the robbery.
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