KEY TAKEAWAYS
- In 2020 Namibian authorities quickly identified suspects following a break-in at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm. One was even arrested after crossing into Namibia illegally.
- But Namibian sources allege SA intelligence back-channels were used to get the Namibians to let the matter go, purportedly to protect Ramaphosa.
- Now Arthur Fraser’s criminal complaint puts the President on the spot: what did he do, what did he know and why the cover-up?
Sam Sole, Tebogo Tshwane and Tileni Mongudh | June 4, 2022
Information obtained by amaBhungane points to a major cover-up of the 2020 theft of some US$4-million in cash from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo.
Now the criminal complaint against Ramaphosa laid by former spy boss Arthur Fraser on Wednesday has massively raised the stakes over what exactly happened in the days following the break-in on 9 February 2020.
The key questions are: what did Ramaphosa do, what did he know, and why was it hushed up?
Late Saturday presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya sent a message in response to detailed questions from amaBhungane, stating: “My apologies. Because of the volume of detailed questions we have received, most of which we cannot answer due to pending investigation, we are going to release a statement later to address the issue.”
What we do know is that authorities in Namibian law enforcement agencies were alerted to about N$6-million (about R6-million) transferred by the suspects into Namibian accounts between February and May 2020.
One of the suspects, Imanuwela David, a Namibian-born individual who also carries a South African passport, was arrested after illegally crossing into Namibia on or about 12 June 2020.
Amabhungane on Saturday reached David via WhatsApp but he claimed we had the wrong number and he didn’t know what we were talking about, despite the number being confirmed by one of his friends. He then blocked us.
By 16 June 2020 Namibian journalists were already aware that David was alleged to be linked to a “theft worth around R50-million from a farm belonging to President Cyril Ramaphosa”.
According to a Namibian police statement, David was in possession of a TAG Hauer watch worth N$ 28 000, a Rolex watch is worth N$ 280 000 and Gold Chain is worth N$ 163 000, plus eleven US$100 notes.
Government sources told Namibian journalist Tileni Mongudhi at the time that the South Africans authorities appeared reluctant to assist or provide information.
Mongudhi was told that a “back-channel” intelligence approach between Nambian and South African officials revealed that David was being monitored as member of a group suspected of having broken into Cyril Ramaphosa’s house around February or early March this year.
The Namibian security sources said the SA government was denying the incident allegedly because the President might find it difficult to explain the cash in his house and the security breach.
They said it was allegedly an inside job and one of the cleaners was a suspect. The gang supposedly made off with cash worth R50-million.
This information, revealed in June 2020, is remarkably accurate when compared with the allegations contained in a statement issued by Fraser on Wednesday.
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