What is Phala Phala farm robbery scandal? What is South African prez Cyril Ramaphosa's role in it? (2023)

Introduction

It is a story that sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller. Imagine this a group of robbers break into a farm, what do they discover? Four million dollars in cash, hidden in the furniture but here's the plot twist this money was actually black money that was stashed there so what does the owner of the farm do he recovers some of the loot and instead pays the robbers to keep quiet and here's a even bigger plot twist- the owner of this farm is South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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Video

It is a story that sounds like the plot of a hollywood thriller.

Imagine this a group of robbers break into a farm.

What do they discover? Four million dollars in cash hidden in the furniture, but here's the plot twist.

This money was actually black money that was stashed there.

So what does the owner of the farm? Do? He recovers some of the loot and instead pays the robbers to keep quiet? And now, let me tell you the bigger plot twist: the owner of this farm is south africa's president cyril ramaphosa.

So this is how it all played out.

Take a look at the video on your screen.

The video was released by the economic freedom fighters.

This is an opposition party in south africa.

They alleged that this is the cctv footage of the robbery criminals broke into ramaphosa's, falafel wildlife farm.

They discovered large sums of money.

The money was hidden in various pieces of furniture.

The president is said to have been abroad at the time after returning, he asked his head of security to probe the robbery they recovered, some of the stolen loot.

All of them were then paid.

Nearly ten thousand dollars to stay silent things escalated on the first of june.

Arthur fraser is the former head of the south african state security agency.

This is the country's spy agency, so he walked into a police station in johannesburg filing a criminal complaint against the president, cyril ramaphosa.

What was the complaint about? Fraser accused ramaphosa of kidnapping, bribery and money laundering.

He also accused him of concealing a crime at his farm.

Soon after the president came out with a statement.

He said the funds were stolen, but added that this was private.

Money ramaphosa insisted that his hands are clean, calling the money proceeds from animal sales in his farm.

He also suspended the country's top anti-corruption official.

It also requires great courage from all of us.

In recent days we have seen those who stand to lose the most from the fight against corruption, resorting to dirty tricks and intimidation in a bid to get us back to back down, but we will not be deterred by threats of any kind whatsoever.

Now, ramaphosa's statement has raised even more questions, especially about the legality of the money.

One day, dramafosza declared this income from sales before and two was there a cover-up indeed, either way the allegations are embarrassing for the president.

The scandal may affect ramaphosa's chances of being re-elected as the anc chairperson in december.

For now he has his party support, but the opposition is asking him to step aside.

Ramaphosa had vowed to stamp out corruption when he came to office so to be involved in a corruption.

Scandal himself is embarrassing to say the least, but the scandal could be more politically damaging for his party and c than for the leader during ramaphosa's presidency, anc has seen its popularity slide.

The party recorded its worst poll result ever in local elections in 2021.

The anc is also grappling with two other high-level corruption cases.

The gupta brothers have been arrested in the uae.

The indian born brothers face charges of political corruption under former south african president.

Jacob zuma zuma is currently facing trial.

In another case, involving a two billion dollar arms deal in the 1990s and with us on the broadcast is johannes myberg he's a journalist with us from cape town, thanks very much for being here with us.

Like, I said this sounds like a movie plot.

Unfortunately, the protagonist is the president of a country uh.

If you can uh just piece together what happens from here onwards, we understand an investigation is pending, but how fair can that probe be given that sir ram fossa continues to remain president, and should he not be stepping aside for that probe to continue? Yes, your introduction was was very accurate where you called this very bizarre case.

I think many of us are still trying to come to terms to understand what exactly is going on.

This came from out of nowhere.

The news broke on sunday on this alleged break-in, which happened two years ago already.

As you said, the background is we're looking at the most advanced economy in africa, beleaguered with corruption and a president coming to power, saying that he will address this, particularly the alleged corruption under his predecessor, who is from the same party, and now he is involved in this really really strange case.

Um that might bring him down, probably won't bring down the party in the next elections, but it certainly may um trigger the downfall of the president uh and what then becomes of uh the image of the country.

What happens uh becomes of the the fight against corruption uh.

What needs to happen next now is our prosecuting authority is investigating these allegations to see uh.

How you know is there a case for for money laundering? Why did he have millions of dollars at his house that were undeclared? He also this robbery happened.

While he was a member of cabinet, he was the deputy president at the time.

Um wasn't allowed to be having other incomes at the time other than his his work for the government.

Now he is one of the richest men in the country and he did make his millions in business.

So there's a lot of questions that need to be answered.

Once the prosecuting authority decides okay, there is a case to be made.

They will charge him with the criminal charges.

Either.

Money laundering or corruption or you know, are a range of possibilities.

Then we'll need to see what happens.

Uh.

The ruling party, the anc, has uh recently decided uh that anyone of the party who has is charged with a criminal offence should step down.

So does this apply to mr ramaphosa we'll have to see um? Also, no one really expected this to happen.

It came rather from out of the blue right if you can also uh briefly summarize for us what silrama fossa's defense has been now, he claims uh when questioned about the legality of this money, that these are proceeds from animal sales from sales from that farm uh.

But this money was found.

We understand from the reports.

He didn't incite furniture items.

So why do that and uh also uh? He has uh.

We understand sagged his country's top anti-corruption official.

Yes, you see different uh, let's say political games and narrative streams.

Uh overlap here now and in a while, we'll we'll probably speak about what happened in parliament as well.

The upheaval, z um, firstly, the sale of of the animals, so this is luxury game uh.

This is one of his streams of income.

Uh, formerly so this you know you'll be talking of uh wild animals, so it might be rhinoceros, it might be giraffe.

He is quite well known for for his trade in sort of south african buffalo um didn't give much details over where this comes from these a lot of these animals, yes, may be worth uh, let's say a million dollar or few hundred thousands of dollars, but once again uh you need a permit to trade in these um.

Why was it done in cash and then, as you say, bizarrely, allegedly, some of the money was stashed in, for example, a couch.

So why have millions of dollars in cash stashed in a couch at your farm? And then, when it's stolen you, you don't report it to the police.

Um hasn't he hasn't given much more detail than that saying that the police should be left to investigate uh the case and then make a decision uh.

But that is also a standard answer for for politicians in south africa.

They'll say it's under an investigation.

I don't want to incriminate myself.

We need to let the law take its its course.

My work thanks very much for being here with us and helping us piece together, uh the various twists and turns in this bizarre uh case that we're looking at uh we're leaving it there for the moment we are now available in your country download the app now get all the news on the move.