Another case for fraud, money laundering and corruption has been opened against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
ANC member in KwaZulu-Natal Nkosentsha Shezi said the R80 million now known to have been stacked and later stolen from Ramaphosa’s mattress and couch at his Phala Phala farm in Bela-Bela was a clear case of money laundering.
The Hawks have confirmed that they are investigating Ramaphosa, who was last week reported to police by former SA spy boss Arthur Fraser.
Ramaphosa’s response was simply that the money was from the payment of cattle.
He was seemingly not bothered by calls for him to give account of why the currency stolen from his farm was in US dollars and not rand, and who the client was that made the payment and why the theft was never reported to the police.
Stan Williams, a cattle breeder who was at the Ramaphosa’s auction on Saturday, told The Star that payment at the auctions was never in cash.
“We pay a deposit before bidding on any animal. If you don’t buy anything, you get your deposit back. If you do bid, the transaction must be made in less than 24 hours. It’s never been in cash.
“I can’t carry R400 000 in cash. It’s been like that for 20 years. I can’t speak for Mr Ramaphosa, but we don’t carry millions in cash,” Williams said.
On Saturday the sale for an Ankole bull named Cumulus fetched R1.65 million.
Cumulus has been described as a top-breeding bull, his diamond shape, called Kyasha by Ugandan cattle-keepers, on his forehead gives him royal status.
The media was barred from covering the event and there was a heavy police presence on site.
The online auction had Ankole cows, frozen embryos and straws of semen belonging to the prized animals on offer, and the auction fetched a total of R20 637 500 with three lots still subject to confirmation.
The Namibian police have cancelled a preservation order of the seizure of assets allegedly acquired using funds from the #PhalaPhalaGate heist.
The cancellation is because of non-compliance from the South African Justice Department after it failed to submit documents showing that there was an investigation of theft where the proceeds were spent in Namibia.
It is believed that Ramaphosa’s police aides and the Presidential VIP unit conducted a covert investigation of the crime in South Africa and interviewed suspects when no case was opened and the matter has been kept secret from the SAPS.
Namibian authorities had initially seized houses, cars and froze bank accounts. However, the assets were then released from the preservation order because of “serious meddling“ by the South African Justice Department.
The Star has reliably learnt that other currencies besides dollars were stashed at Ramaphosa’s farm. According to sources at the State Security Agency, millions of Botswana pula were stashed at Ramaphosa’s farm. The pula are said to be linked to a 2019 bid, involving South Africans, aimed at toppling Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
This is a developing story.