'Why did Trump overlook Ramaphosa's $580K scandal?'

UMKHONTO weSizwe Party (MK Party) spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa following his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, calling him a “fugitive from justice” in connection with the Phala Phala farm scandal.

- HOPE NTANZI

Ndhlela said Ramaphosa should have been held accountable for the undisclosed dollars found on his property (farm) in 2020 and questioned under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

“What you have there sitting next to Donald Trump is a fugitive from justice. What should be happening is that they should be prosecuting him and asking him to respond to how all those dollars ended up in his couch. This is what should be happening because they are sitting with a person who has caused criminality, and that farm of his is a crime scene,” Ndhlela said in an interview with the SABC.

This comes after the party had previously urged US authorities, under the Trump administration, to launch an investigation into the Phala Phala farm robbery, in which an estimated $580000 was allegedly stolen.

Ndhlela also questioned the timing of Ramaphosa’s US trip, implying it was strategically planned to avoid key political responsibilities.