Cape Town – Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka has cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing regarding allegations of maladministration and abuse of power.
The investigation focused on his role in handing over an RDP house to 82-year-old Martha Louw in Donkerhoek, Northern Cape, during the ANC’s Letsema campaign on October 1, 2022.
According to TimesLIVE, the complaint, lodged by E Muller on the same day, alleged that Ramaphosa abused his power by using a government-funded RDP house for a political event.
Muller claimed the president had previously misused municipal resources for campaign activities and argued that the handover blurred the line between state and party functions, the report said.
However, Gcaleka’s investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing. She determined that Louw’s housing subsidy had been approved in 2004 and that the house was officially handed over by government officials on September 30, 2022—before Ramaphosa’s visit.
[WATCH] Public Protector Adv. Kholeka Gcaleka clears President Cyril Ramaphosa of improper conduct in connection with using public funds to attend an ANC-linked event. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/5Z7DeacwDq
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 4, 2025
Evidence, including TimesLIVE photos, showed the president was there solely to celebrate Louw’s birthday.
Gcaleka concluded that Ramaphosa’s conduct did not amount to improper behavior or maladministration under the Public Protector Act.
“The contention by the complainant that the president went to the Northern Cape as part of the ANC’s Letsema campaign, which is not a government campaign and handed over an RDP house is not supported by the evidence at the Public Protector’s disposal,” the public protector’s report read, according to The Citizen.
