Ramaphosa will not be charged over the farm scandal

BBC report

South African prosecutors say they will not bring criminal charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa in connection with the controversial farm theft scandal that nearly brought the president down two years ago.

A former spy chief has filed a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa, accusing him of wrongdoing in trying to cover up the theft of $4m (£3.25m) in cash from his game farm in the province from Limpopo, to the north-east.

The president has denied any wrongdoing, saying the money stolen from his couch in 2020 came from the legitimate sale of buffalo on his Phala Phala farm.

The decision not to press charges against Ramaphosa or anyone else came after a “thorough investigative process”, prosecutors said.

Ramaphosa survived the so-called “farmgate” scandal and was re-elected president in June, albeit after being forced to form a coalition while criminal investigations were still ongoing.

In 2022, his African National Congress (ANC) used its majority to block an impeachment motion against him over the scandal.

Last year, the anti-corruption watchdog fired Ramaphosa amid calls for his resignation.

Arthur Fraser, who led the state security agency from 2016 to 2018, claimed Ramaphosa hid the farm theft from police and tax authorities and instead arranged the kidnapping and interrogation of the thieves to try to silence them.

The president was also charged with money laundering, tax evasion and breach of foreign exchange laws over the cash, which was in US dollars.

Ramaphosa acknowledged the theft but denied criminal allegations, saying he had reported the theft to the police.

He has also disputed the amount of money involved, saying it came from legitimate sales of game from his animal farm.

The highly publicized theft brought down Ramaphosa’s government ahead of a crucial party leadership vote.

But an investigation into the matter has found insufficient evidence of corruption and money laundering, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Thursday.

In a statement, Limpopo Director of Public Prosecutions Ivy Thenga said the decision not to prosecute Ramaphosa was made after a “careful assessment” of all available evidence presented to prosecutors by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI).

“The available evidence presented to prosecutors cannot support any charges,” said NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga.

The investigation also covered any possible violations of income tax and exchange control regulations, the prosecutor added.

The case against three people accused of breaking into Ramaphosa’s farm will continue next month.

They appeared in a Limpopo court earlier this week on a number of charges including money laundering and housebreaking.