President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm scandal has taken a new turn, with businessman Tokyo Sexwale calling on him to tell the truth about the matter. The origin of the phrase ‘cock and bull story’ is a bit murky, much like the stash of dollars stolen from Ramaphosa’s infamous farm. According to Wikipedia, the phrase is thought to have originated from the French term ‘coq-à-l’âne’, meaning ‘jumping abruptly from one disconnected topic to another’.
The phrase reminds me of an old Zulu folklore story of Hubhu kaBhejane, a renowned creative storyteller of the King Cetshwayo era. The ‘cock and bull’ phrase was this week used by Sexwale to dismiss the fairytales about the theft that got Ramaphosa into trouble. It’s hard to disagree with the former Gauteng premier, as the whole tale does indeed sound like a cock and bull story.
Phala Phala Scandal: A Timeline
How can experienced traders and farm managers simply decide to stash millions of rands’ worth of dollars in a couch when they have the means and connections to have it banked or kept safely? Why were the dollars being stashed away in such an amateurish manner? These are just a few questions surrounding the Phala Phala scandal.
5 Key Claims Made by Ramaphosa
Regarding Ramaphosa taking the Section 89 report on review, many people have correctly labelled his latest desperate move as pure Stalingrad tactics. But the trouble with delaying the inevitable is that the dark cloud will follow him into retirement and trouble him when he is weaker and more vulnerable. Here are 5 key claims made by Ramaphosa in his court bid to scrap the Phala Phala report:
- He claims that former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo and his fellow panel members misunderstood their mandate.
- He accuses the panel of being biased against him.
- He claims that the panel’s report is unlawful and should be set aside.
- He argues that the panel’s findings are not supported by evidence.
- He claims that the panel’s report is a threat to his constitutional rights.
We are going to have to wait and watch this space. The next few weeks are going to be very interesting indeed. But the truth has a way of coming out somehow in the end. As the South African Government website states, the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and all citizens are equal before the law.
