S.African president cleared of graft watchdog accusations

A South African court on Tuesday ruled in favour of President Cyril Ramaphosa in a probe of suspected money laundering and personal enrichment linked to his 2019 party leadership election campaign fund.

Judges dismissed an investigation by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane in which she accused Ramaphosa of misleading parliament over his campaign financing. In a damning report last year, Mkhwebane -- South Africa's ethics watchdog -- published findings concerning a 500,000 rand (USD 31,460) donation to Ramaphosa's campaign from a company facing extensive corruption allegations.

Ramaphosa initially told lawmakers that the payment was to his son for consultancy work at the company, now known as African Global Operations (AGO).

He later backtracked and said it was a donation towards his campaign to become ANC party leader -- a hard-fought battle in which he beat ex-president Jacob Zuma's chosen candidate.

Mkhwebane accused Ramaphosa of deliberately misleading parliament for illegal purposes.

But the president dismissed the report and took the case to the High Court, which on Tuesday declared Mkhwebane's findings as "unlawful".

"There is simply no evidence that the president received personal financial benefit from any campaign contributions," said judge Elias Matojane.

"Her findings on the money laundering issue were not only irrational but indeed reckless," he said.

Mkhwebane's spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

"The Presidency welcomes the settlement of this matter and reaffirms its commitment to honest and effective governance," Ramaphosa's office said on Twitter. Mkhwebane was appointed Public Protector in 2016 and her term ends in 2023.

While her position is meant to investigate public corruption and misconduct, she has been criticised for being close to graft-tainted Zuma.

A handful of Mkhwebane's other investigations have already been dismissed in court, and parliament is currently assessing her competency for the job.

Few months after winning the ANC leadership, Ramaphosa went on to become president after Zuma was entangled in graft scandals that forced him to step down in February 2018.

Ramaphosa led the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in the May 2019 national elections where the party won with a reduced majority.

He has vowed to crack down on high-level corruption that looted state coffers during Zuma's nine-year administration.

The ANC remains bitterly split between Zuma and Ramaphosa's supporters.