MODIMOLLE, South Africa (Reuters) – Three suspects appeared in a South African court on Monday accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of cash from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s game farm in 2020, in a scandal that nearly brought down the president two years ago.
Imanuwela David, Ndilinasho Joseph and Froliana Joseph face charges that include house breaking and theft.
The three appeared at a regional court in Limpopo province where the case was postponed until Nov. 26, bail extended for the Joseph siblings arrested in November last year, while David was ordered to remain in custody.
The affair, dubbed “Farmgate”, came to light when South Africa’s former spy chief, Arthur Fraser, told police in June 2022 about the incident and accused Ramaphosa of money laundering, corruption and covering up a large theft of foreign currency.
Ramaphosa, a wealthy and well-connected businessman before he became president, has denied any wrongdoing. In June 2023 the anti-corruption watchdog cleared him of a potential conflict of interest related to the money found inside a sofa on his Phala Phala game farm.
The affair nearly cost him leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) – a pre-requisite of being on the party’s ticket for this year’s presidential election – in late 2022 but he survived a challenge from other ANC members.
(Reporting by Siyabonga Sishi, Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Tim Cocks and Hugh Lawson)
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