CAPE TOWN, July 21 -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday challenged Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane over her allegations that he violated the Executive Ethics Code.
Mkhwebane's report to this effect "contains numerous factual inaccuracies of a material nature," Ramaphosa said.
On Friday, Mkhwebane released the report about her investigation into a controversial donation worth 500,000 rand (about 36,000 U.S. dollars) to the president's election campaign fund.
The donation was made by Bosasa company, also known as African Global Operations, to Ramaphosa's campaign team in 2017 to fund his African National Congress (ANC) presidential campaign. Ramaphosa was deputy president then.
Mkhwebane found that Ramaphosa deliberately misled Parliament in November last year when he said in the House that he did not know the details of the donation his campaign office received.
Ramaphosa said at that time that the donation was in fact payment for services to his son's company.
But in the report, Mkhwebane rejected Ramaphosa's claim, saying the president is duty-bound to declare funds deposited into his campaign account because he personally benefitted from the Bosasa donation.
Mkhwebane said Ramaphosa ought to have declared all the funds received for his campaign as some of the money collected through Ramaphosa's campaign account was transferred to the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation account.
Ramaphosa's explanation that he did not know about the donors and donations "is false," Mkhwebane said.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Ramaphosa said Mkhwebane's findings "are wrong in law, are irrational and, in some instances, exceed the scope of the powers of the Public Protector."
Her report "is fundamentally and irretrievably flawed," Ramaphosa said.
Furthermore, the president said, Mkhwebane failed to provide him with an opportunity to comment on proposed remedial action, thus violating provisions of the Public Protector Act, the Constitution and principles of common law.
Given these deficiencies, and consistent with the constitutional architecture, it is appropriate that the courts make a final and impartial determination on this matter, said Ramaphosa.
"I have therefore decided to seek an urgent judicial review of the Public Protector's report, its findings and remedial action," the president said.
He said he has instructed his legal representatives to prepare an application to this effect as a matter of urgency.
Given the gravity of this matter - and appreciating the effect that these findings have on the standing and credibility of both the President and the Public Protector - it is essential that the courts be given an opportunity to review the report and to find accordingly, Ramaphosa said.
"I am taking this action in the firm belief that the President is not above the law, and nor is the Public Protector," he added.
2016高考英语一轮复习课件人教版选修7《Unit3 Under the sea》
2016高考英语一轮复习课件人教版必修5《Unit5 First Aid》
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《书面表达常用句型》课件
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《书面表达不同题材写作探索》课件
2016高考英语复习课件外研版必修2《Module 5 Newspapers and magazines》一轮复习课件
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《书面表达指导训练》课件
2016高考英语一轮复习课件人教版选修6《Unit1 Art》
2016高考英语一轮复习学案人教版选修七unit 2
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《基础写作》课件
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《语短文改错专项解题指导》课件
2016高考英语一轮复习学案人教版选修六unit 5
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮课本复习人教版《UNIT 11-12》课件
2016高考英语一轮复习课件人教版选修6《Unit3 A healthy life》
2016高考英语一轮复习学案人教版选修八unit 1
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮课本复习人教版《UNIT 19-20》课件
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《阅读理解:猜词》课件
2016高考英语一轮复习学案人教版选修六unit 1
2016高考英语一轮复习学案人教版选修八unit 5
2016高考英语一轮复习学案人教版选修六unit 3
2016高考英语一轮复习课件人教版选修7《Unit1 Living well》
2016高考英语一轮复习课件人教版必修5《Unit2 The United Kingdom》
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《英语作文指导》课件
2016高考英语复习课件外研版必修2《Module 1 Our body and healthy habits》一轮复习课件
2016高考英语复习课件外研版必修2《Module 2 No drugs》一轮复习课件
2016高考英语一轮复习课件人教版必修5《Unit1 Great Scientists》
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《高考完形填空解题技巧指导》课件
2016高考英语复习课件外研版必修2《Module 6 Films and TV Programmes》一轮复习课件
2016高考英语复习课件牛津译林版必修二《Unit 3 Amazing people》一轮复习课件
2016高考英语一轮复习学案人教版选修八unit 3
福建省长泰一中2016届高三英语一轮专题复习人教版《阅读理解:主旨大意型解试题分析与答题技巧》课件