By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has insisted that the money stolen from his Phala Phala Game farm were not the proceeds of crime.
Speaking at the Limpopo 10th provincial conference, Ramaphosa publicly clarified developments around a robbery that took place at his farm in 2020.
This is Ramaphosa’s first public address since the former State Security Agency DG Arthur Fraser laid a criminal complaint against him.
He acknowledged there is much public interest and concern about the claims made against him but denied any wrongdoing.
“I was not involved in any criminal conduct. I am a farmer I am in the cattle and the game business; I buy and sell animals. that has been declared in Parliament. The sales sometimes are in cash and some transfers. Some of the people who are offshore customers come through and buy animals and some of them come to hunt on the farm. What has been reported was a clear business transaction of selling animals.”
Ramaphosa said the amount of money that was stolen or found on the farm was far less than what is being reported in the media.
According to Fraser’s media statement, the alleged theft of “in excess of $4m” concealed “within the premises of the president’s Phala Phala farm.
He accused Ramaphosa of defeating the ends of justice, kidnapping suspects who were allegedly questioned on his farm. Fraser claimed the theft was carried out by robbers in collusion with Ramaphosa’s domestic worker.
He said: “I want to reaffirm that I was not involved in any criminal conduct and once again I pledge my full cooperation with any form of investigation, but, due to the investigation, I will not be able to engage deeply or further in the matter I will let the due process to take its due cause.
“I will have never stolen money from the taxpayers or from anyone. My integrity as a leader will not allow me to do so. I will continue to fight corruption, some of these things are clearly a political agenda. This whole matter will be fully investigated.”
Fraser opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa at Rosebank police station.
The case was registered on Wednesday with Fraser saying Ramaphosa and head of the Presidential Protection Unit, Major-General Wally Rhoode must be investigated for money laundering, corruption, and kidnapping.
In his affidavit, submitted to the police, Fraser added, “it is no small matter to lay criminal charges against a sitting President, but I am guided by the dictates of the interest of justice and our Constitution”.
Fraser said in the affidavit that thieves broke into the president’s wildlife farm on February 9, 2020, and stole “undisclosed sums of United States Dollars, concealed in the furniture in the main farmhouse”.
It has since been established that one of the suspects, Imanuwela David, a Namibian-born individual who also carries a South African passport, was arrested after illegally crossing into Namibia on or about 12 June 2020.
By 16 June 2020, Namibian journalists were already aware that David was allegedly linked to a “theft worth around R50-million from a farm belonging to Ramaphosa.