amaBhungane reveals alleged major cover-up of theft at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm

Information obtained by amaBhunghane reveals there was a major cover-up of the 2020 theft of $4 million (about R60 million) in cash from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo.

Ramaphosa confirmed the multimillion-rand theft which took place at his Limpopo farm after former spy boss Arthur Fraser pressed charges against him. “The presidency can confirm that a robbery took place at the President’s farm in Limpopo on or around February 2020 in which proceeds from the sale of game were stolen,” said the presidency in a statement on Thursday, 2 June.

The criminal charges laid against the president by Arthur Fraser on Wednesday have raised the stakes over what really happened after the alleged break-in on 9 February 2020.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Mangwenya sent a response to amaBhungane stating: “My apologies. Because of the volume of detailed questions we have received, most of which we cannot answer due to pending investigation, we are going to release a statement later to address the issue.”

What we know is that authorities in Namibian law enforcement agencies were alerted about N$6-million (about R6 million) was transferred by the suspects into Namibian accounts between February and May 2020.

One of the alleged suspects was arrested after illegally crossing into Namibia on or about 12 June 20202. Imanuwela David, a Namibian-born individual with a South African passport was arrested for the alleged theft.  

Source: News24, Daily Maverick, image from Twitter

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

See Full Bio