After months of evading accountability on the origins of the suspicious foreign currency hidden under his sofas in the Phala Phala farm, an independent panel appointed to look into the farmgate allegations has found that President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer to.
The Section 89 Independent Panel which was chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, had retired High Court Judge Thokozile Masipa and advocate Mahlape Sello as members submitted an 82-page report. It found that Ramaphosa “has a case to answer on the origin of the foreign currency that was stolen, as well as the underlying transaction for it”.
Here are the top six things to know from the findings:
- Money was “stored” or “concealed” in a sofa in the president’s private residence on the farm in Limpopo.
- The total sum of the foreign currency and how it got into the farm is unclear.
- The panel found there were more people who had knowledge of the robbery who could’ve provided answers. The report states that the truth into the February 2020 robbery lies in the “unanswered questions”.
- Ramaphosa has no direct knowledge of how the funds landed on his farm but relies on hearsay from Sylvester Ndlovu, who is the person to have allegedly received the foreign currency.
- Sudanese national Mustafa Mohamed Ibrahim Hazim, said to have brought R9m to the farm and bought cattle but two years later, the cattle is still on Phala Phala. This is unexplained.
- The panel could not establish the source of where whistleblower Arthur Fraser obtained his information but understands that should the time come, he would reveal all.
- Ramaphosa is expected to appear before the National Council of Provinces on Thursday to respond to parliamentary questions however, he has since written to speaker Amos Masondo indicating he was no longer available to appear before the house.
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