Developer denies farmgate links

• Author: Chevon Booysen
• Published date: 07 November 2022
• Publication title: Cape Times, The (Cape Town, South Africa)

Zahir Vallie, owner of ZProp, has described the claims contained in a document believed to be authored by former State Security Agency director-general Arthur Fraser as “grossly defamatory'' and “devoid of any truth”

The document forms part of UDM leader Bantu Holomisa’s submission to the independent parliamentary panel established to determine whether Ramaphosa has a case to answer over the scandal.

The letter, believed to have been intended to assist the Hawks in their probe, claims that Vallie was contacted by Chauke three weeks after charges were laid against Ramaphosa. Chauke, according to the document, was “said to have moved $20 million in cash” to Vallie for “safekeeping”.

However in a statement Vallie said: “To the best of my knowledge it has not been established, as a matter of fact, that such a letter exists. I certainly have no idea of whether this is the case and why I am implicated in paragraphs 5.15 and 5.16 thereof.

“What has happened since this ‘letter’ surfaced via a ghost account posting on Twitter is that the President and Dr Bejani Chauke have publicly indicated, via Vincent Magwenya (Ramaphosa’s spokesperson) in Parliament that they have ‘no knowledge of this Mr Vallie’.

“I can confirm that I have no relationship of any kind (business or personal) with either Dr Chauke or the President. We do not know each other at all. For what it is worth I can further confirm that I also do not know Mr Fraser.

“However, other than to say that they are lies, it is...