Pressure on Mchunu to declassify Ipid's Phala Phala report

SOME opposition parties in Parliament are piling pressure on Police Minister Senzo Mchunu  to release the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) report into President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala scandal. 

The report, which was finalised in October 2023, has been classified as "top secret," sparking outrage among those demanding transparency and accountability.

The Phala Phala scandal revolves around the 2020 theft of a large sum of foreign currency hidden in couches at Ramaphosa's farm in Limpopo. While the true figure has yet to be confirmed, it was believed to be about $580 000 or R8.7 million. 

Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing involving allegations of money laundering and corruption, but the scandal has raised questions about his integrity and accountability.

In a written response to a parliamentary question by Vuyo Zungula, the leader of African Transformation Movement (ATM), Mchunu confirmed the Ipid report remained classified.

Zungula was inquiring about the reasons behind the delay of the release of the finalised report and its status to which  Mchunu’s responded  that the report would not be made public until it was declassified and it was disingenuous to suggest he was suppressing the report.

Opposition parties accused Mchunu of being complicit in covering for his boss Ramaphosa.

Ipid had been requested to unseal the investigation report into allegations of how police officials covered up the theft of dollars from Ramaphosa’s couches.

The scandal came to light when former spy boss Arthur Fraser laid a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa.

ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said Mchunu's decision was "a blatant disregard for transparency" and "a strategic move to shield Ramaphosa from scrutiny".

He added that Mchunu's assertion that he could not reveal the contents of the report was a disingenuous attempt to appease his employer (Ramaphosa) rather than serve the interests of the South African public. 

“How can the Minister justify withholding this critical information from the public, especially when it pertains to a matter of national interest and constitutional integrity?

…Mchunu’s statement that he is not violating the executive ethics code by withholding the findings is a weak defence,” Ntshona said.

EFF  spokesperson Sinawo Thambo condemned Mchunu's decision as "an insult to democracy" and "a direct assault on transparency and accountability".

"The classification of the Ipid report as 'top secret' is just the latest chapter in this systematic cover-up. The Police Minister's refusal to release it is an insult to democracy and a direct assault on transparency and accountability," Thambo said.

He said the EFF would consider all options, including approaching the courts, to compel the release of the Ipid report.

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said: “The minister, by covering up for the president, is himself an accessory to the crime. Holding this report back is a clear indication that there is more damning information against his boss."  

Ndhlela said they would also be seeking legal advice on the matter while using the parliamentary committees to force Mchunu to release the report.

“We sit in various committees in parliament including the police and intelligence committees…so we need to find ways of how we can get access to that report…We are also going to exercise legal avenues to render an open document that is for public consumption,” Ndhlela said.

In response to the outcry, Mchunu has maintained that the report's classification as "top secret" is in line with the Minimum Information Security Standards (MISS).

Mchunu’s spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi, denied that Mchunu had refused to release the report.

“The minister did not refuse. The investigation report has been classified as “Top Secret” in terms of the MISS…the minister is not aware of the intended court action,” Mogotsi said.

Cape Times