Reports indicate that a Sudanese businessman connected to the Cyril Ramaphosa controversy in South Africa has now spoken out.
The alleged theft of $580,000 (£476,000) in cash from the president’s farm, Phala Phala, which had been given over to pay for animals, is at the center of the issue.
Hazim Mustafa is the businessman named in an expert assessment as having given the money. There was some question about whether the purchase had actually been done, but he has since admitted to newsmen that he paid cash for 20 buffaloes in 2019 and that he was unaware that they belonged to Rampahosa.
“I wasn’t aware it belonged to the president. I dealt with a broker – the one working on Phala Phala farm,” Mustafa is quoted as saying.
The commission that investigated the circumstances surrounding the misappropriation of the proceeds from the sale came to the conclusion that the president needed to explain himself.
Given that neither the lodge manager nor the Sudanese national had given their confirmation, the panel stated that there was “strong doubt” that the sale of the animals actually took place.
“We think that the president has a case to answer on the origin of the foreign currency that was stolen, as well as the underlying transaction for it,” the panel added.
As of now, Ramaphosa has had support from the ruling African National Congress, which has urged him to resist calls for his resignation.
