The ANC says that President Cyril Ramaphosa missed a meeting with top ANC MPs on Tuesday morning because he was “forcefully detained” in Gauteng.

Ramaphosa is being investigated for allegedly helping robbers steal from his farm in 2020 and then covering it up. He is being told to “come clean” and “step aside,” and he was supposed to meet with the ANC’s two chief whips in parliament, Pemmy Majodina and Seiso Mohai, as well as the chairs in charge of committees and oversight in the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, and the ANC chairs of the economic cluster committees

The meeting was supposed to take place on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Genadendal, the official residence of the president in Cape Town. However, it was canceled at the last minute, after some MPs had flown in from other parts of the country.

An administrator in Majodina’s office, Bukelwa Ntantiso, sent a text message that said, “We just got word that the president had to be detained in Gauteng and won’t be able to meet with chairpersons as requested.” The text was sent by Bukelwa Ntantiso. “Sincere apologies go out to those who went all the way to Cape Town just for the meeting.”

The MPs were told to go to the meetings and sittings of their respective houses that were planned for Tuesday. “Once again, sincere apologies are given for things that were out of everyone’s hands,” Ntantiso said. TimesLIVE has seen a letter from Majodina’s office, dated June 3, inviting ANC MPs to a meeting with Ramaphosa “to strengthen the working relationships between the executive and parliament.” Ramaphosa is going to put the budget vote for the presidency on the table on Thursday.