President Cyril Ramaphosa abused his position and violated the executive ethics code by enriching himself when he accepted a R500 000 donation from Bosasa – one of the companies at the centre of State capture allegations, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane said on Friday.

Mkhwebane released her report into the donation to Ramaphosa's campaign to become African National Congress (ANC) president, at a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday.

The Public Protector found that the benefit to Ramaphosa was of a "material nature".

"I have evidence which indicates that some of the money collected through the CR17 campaign trust account was also into the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation account from where it was also transferred to other beneficiaries," she said.

At the time of the donation, Ramaphosa was the deputy president.

Mkhwebane said Ramaphosa was bound by the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members' Interests for Assembly and Permanent Council Members, to declare such financial interests.

She also found Ramaphosa deliberately misled Parliament.

"The allegations that on 06 November 2019 during question session in Parliament, President Ramaphosa deliberately misled the National Assembly, is substantiated," said Mkhwebane.

"He deliberately misled Parliament, in that he should have allowed himself sufficient time to research on a well informed response," she said at a press conference in Pretoria.

By misleading Parliament, Ramaphosa had also violated the Constitution, said Mkhwebane.

"I therefore find President Ramaphosa's conduct as referred to above, although ostensibly in good faith, to be inconsistent with his office as a member of cabinet and therefore in violation of section 96(1) of the Constitution," her report found.

Last year, during a question-and-answer session in Parliament, Ramaphosa said his son, Andile, benefited to the tune of R500 000 from a contract with Bosasa. Ramaphosa later retracted his answer, writing to the National Assembly saying he inadvertently provided incorrect information and that the half a million rand was in fact donated to his campaign to become ANC president.