Many are the scoundrels who have tried to avoid media or public scrutiny by hiding behind a claim of “sub judice”. The Latin expression means “before a judge” and if a matter is being considered by a court, it would constitute contempt to comment on it.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was smart enough, as the vultures gathered around him in parliament this week, not to use that as an excuse for refusing to answer questions about the burglary at his Phala Phala game farm in 2020.
That sorry saga has not yet come before a court of law – and the odds are probably better than even that it never will. After all, this man is the head of the ANC, the organisation which looks after its own and avoids accountability.
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Ramaphosa made it clear that he wants the processes of investigation to conclude before he says anything. Perhaps he wants the probes to not only exonerate him, but also to turn the tables on his accuser, former State Security Agency head Arthur Fraser, who made the original claims.
The president said that there are “individuals and organisations” who “seek to make mileage” out of the story. That is obvious, given the fact that he has set himself up as some sort of saviour of the country – someone who preaches transparency and promises to rid us of corruption.
Yet, his silence only allows rumours to proliferate and makes the unanswered questions even more pertinent.
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Questions like: How much cash did he stash at the farm? Where did it come from? What was it going to be used for? Was it declared to the SA Revenue Service? Did he attempt to subvert the course of justice in directing how the initial incident was investigated and then covered up? Mr President, you need to clear the air – and your name.
