General Wally Rhoode, head of the Presidential Protection Service.
PHOTO: Pieter du Toit/News24
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has been cleared by the acting Public Protector of wrongdoing in the Phala Phala saga.
- However, his protection services head, Wally Rhoode, has been found to have conducted an unsanctioned investigation.
- National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has been instructed to act against Rhoode within 60 days.
While acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of wrongdoing, his protection services head Wally Rhoode has been found to have conducted an unsanctioned investigation following the burglary at Phala Phala.
Gcaleka was on Friday delivering the report on her investigations into the Phala Phala robbery and subsequent investigation.
She found that Ramaphosa did not violate the Executive Members’ Ethics code as his interest in Phala Phala did not amount to paid work outside his executive duties.
Gcaleka also found that Ramaphosa had appropriately declared interests in his farming businesses and that there was not enough evidence to prove he instructed Rhoode to institute an investigation instead of reporting the matter to law enforcement.
As such, Gcaleka found that Ramaphosa did not abuse state resources.
READ | Public Protector clears Ramaphosa of wrongdoing in Phala Phala burglary scandal
While she found no wrongdoing on Ramaphosa’s part, Gcaleka found that following the burglary at his farm in early 2020 his head of security, Major-General Wally Rhoode went about investigating the matter in an untoward manner not sanctioned by the police commissioner whom he was meant to report to.
Gcaleka found that Rhoode’s actions exceeded the bounds of the presidential protection services.
She also said that the tracing and following of the money were also done without Rhoode having reported to the commissioner as he was supposed to.
Gcaleka said:
According to Rhoode’s affidavit, he had reported to the late deputy commissioner of police: crime detection, Lieutenant-General Sindile Mfazi, and not then police commissioner General Kehla Sitole as he was supposed to.
She added that Rhoode’s excuse for not following the stated line of reporting was that Sitole was busy with performance assessments.
She said Rhoode sought approval to have Ramaphosa’s then-adviser Bejani Chauke accompany him to Namibia. Still, her office could not prove a link to the travel of the men and the investigation into the burglary.
As such, Gcaleka has recommended that National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola should, within 60 calendar days, take action against Rhoode and other presidential protection service members who took part in the rogue investigation.