South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s son Andile admitted on Wednesday he was paid $140,000 by a company facing extensive corruption allegations, an admission that could embarrass his father ahead of polls.President Ramaphosa has sought, ahead of elections on May 8, to de-toxify the ruling African National Congress which has been embroiled in numerous graft scandals since coming to power in 1994.
Several suspects including the company’s former chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi appeared at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court Wednesday over the alleged theft of $120 million from contracts with the prisons service.“It is clear now with the benefit of hindsight that our due diligence was insufficient in retrospect of my father’s role going into the Presidency,” Andile Ramaphosa told News24.
There is no suggestion Andile Ramaphosa or his company were involved in the alleged corruption at the centre of the ongoing criminal case.