The Presidency welcomes High Court ruling on Public Protector’s Report

11 March 2020

The Presidency welcomes the finding of the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Tshwane today on President Ramaphosa’s application to have the findings and remedial action of the Public Protector into whether the President violated the Executive Ethics code, declared unlawful and set aside.

The Court reaffirmed the President’s assertion that there was no factual basis for the Public Protector’s finding that the President misled Parliament in relation to a donation made to the CR17 campaign from Mr Gavin Watson of African Global Operations.

The Court further found that:

The Public Protector had no jurisdiction to investigate the CR17 campaign.

The President was not obliged to make disclosure of the donations received by the CR17 campaign.

The Public Protector had no foundation in fact and in law to arrive at conclusion that President had involved himself in unlawful activities.

The Presidency welcomes the settlement of this matter and reaffirms its commitment to honest and effective governance. 

Issued by KhuselaDiko, Spokesperson to the President, 10 March 2020