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- President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm is "processing" a refund claim made by Sudanese businessman Hazim Mustafa.
- Mustafa allegedly paid $580 000 for several buffalo in December 2019.
- Find everything you need to know about the 2024 general elections on News24's Elections Hub.
President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm is "processing" Sudanese businessman Hazim Mustafa's claim for a refund for buffalo.
In an interview with 702's Clement Manyathela and EWN's politics editor Tshidi Madia, Ramaphosa said Mustafa had made a claim and therefore "we have to repay him".
Mustafa allegedly paid $580 000 in cash for buffalo on 25 December 2019, handing the money to an employee of Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm.
Ramaphosa identified Mustafa as the person who paid the roughly R8 million in cash in his responses to the Office of the Public Protector, which investigated complaints that the president violated the Executive Members Ethics Act by failing to declare his business interests.
READ | Phala Phala: It's all political, says Sudanese businessman who now wants refund
It was reported that the scandal led to Ramaphosa seriously mulling over his resignation. On Monday, Ramaphosa denied this claim.
He said:
"I will be voted into power and I will serve my term. Serve is the operative word, serving the people of South Africa with the best that I can give in the remaining years of my life. I am 72 [years old] this year, and I will be prepared, willing and able to serve the people," Ramaphosa said.
News24 understands that the president is on a media roadshow before next week's elections.
Ramaphosa also responded to questions about why the ANC dilly-dallied before acting on former president Jacob Zuma's forming a new political party while he is still a member of the ANC, which was in breach of the ANC's constitution.
He said:
"We followed our constitution to the letter and could not have done it any other way.
"In the end, we followed the constitution and we took the decisions that we took at the time.
"It is what it is ... We took the decision to put him through a disciplinary process, and that is what we have done. What we should really be found guilty of is following our constitution, and that I will concede that."
Ramaphosa also conceded that some decisions should have been taken earlier and others later, "but, in the end, we have taken the decision".
