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South Africa | Ramaphosa says he will step aside if charged with corruption

President Cyril Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa has undertaken to step down from his position should he be charged with corruption.

“If I’m charged with corruption, my own orientation is that, yes, [I will],” Ramaphosa said measuredly, when asked the question in an interview with News24 on Friday afternoon.

Former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has accused Ramaphosa of having been involved in the irregular awarding of contracts at Eskom during his tenure.

Molefe told the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture that Ramaphosa had a conflict of interest when he, in his role as deputy president, was appointed chairperson of Eskom’s war room while he was a shareholder at Glencore, an Eskom contractor.

Ramaphosa, in an interview with Power FM earlier, denied that there was a conflict of interest as he said he had exited all his business positions at the time. He said he would testify at the commission to clarify this.

Lawsuit

Molefe is one of the executives named in a R3.8 billion lawsuit by Eskom and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), filed last year.

Ramaphosa is also facing questions by the ANC’s integrity commission over fundraising for his campaign to be elected party president in 2017.

Ramaphosa has been clear on the ANC’s position that those who are facing serious criminal charges, like corruption, should step aside from their positions.

The party’s integrity commission has ordered ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule to step down as he was charged with corruption in connection with an asbestos eradication tender in the Free State.

Magashule has, so far, refused to, maintaining that he’s innocent.

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