Ramaphosa responds to Scopa over use of public money in ANC politics

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has responded to questions from parliament’s public accounts committee (Scopa) regarding his alleged knowledge of the use of public money in ANC campaigns.

Ramaphosa on Friday confirmed that he signed off a letter this week responding to Scopa’s questions stemming from a complaint by ANC MP Mervyn Dirks over allegations that Ramaphosa was aware of the abuse of public funds in the governing party’s political campaigns, but did nothing to stop it.

Dirks cited a recording in which Ramaphosa can allegedly be heard telling an ANC NEC meeting about the use of government funds to sponsor ANC political battles.

Scopa gave Ramaphosa 10 days to respond to its questions.

Dirks’ allegations led to ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina suspending him as a member of Scopa and his position as ANC whip in the committee.

Responding to queries from journalists during the Presidential Golf Challenge in Melkbosstrand on the West Coast, Ramaphosa confirmed he was ready to engage Scopa on the matter.

“I signed the letter, I don’t know where it is now. It must be somewhere in the pipeline. These things take a long time to happen. There’s a chain of things that need to happen.”

Ramaphosa declined to respond to questions on who will be held accountable after a high-level panel finding that his security cluster cabinet ministers had been caught napping in during the deadly riots and looting in July 2021.

He said he would deal with the issue in a media engagement to take place on Tuesday.

In a parliamentary statement, Scopa chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa confirmed receiving Ramaphosa’s response within the stipulated 10 working days timeline.

“Having studied the contents of the letter from the president, Mr Hlengwa has referred it to parliamentary legal services to give guidance on certain aspects of the president’s response. The committee programme has been adjusted accordingly and the president’s response, along with the legal advice, will be tabled before the committee at a meeting on February 16 2022,” the statement read.

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