Hawks say 68 statements filed in Phala Phala probe
Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation update comes day before report is due on whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer in the alleged burglary
Hawks boss Lt-Gen Godfrey Lebeya says his unit has filed 68 statements so far regarding its investigation into the burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm.
“We are not reporting blow by blow on this investigation, but we can indicate we have 68 statements that have been filed,” Lebeya told a media update on Tuesday. “We have professional investigators, senior officers and prosecutors looking at whatever we are recording to ensure it is in line with the law.”
In June, former spy boss Arthur Fraser laid criminal charges against Ramaphosa over an alleged burglary at his Limpopo game farm in February 2020.
Fraser alleges that $4m (about R67.8m) in cash was stolen by two foreign nationals. The money was alleged to have been be stuffed in couches in the president’s home at the time.
An independent panel appointed by parliament to investigate whether Ramaphosa has a case to answer in the matter is expected to release its report on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula extended the deadline for the panel, chaired by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo.
Ngcobo requested the extension “due to the amount of work to be done”.
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