A court in South Africa has found a man guilty of stealing over $500,000 in cash from a farm owned by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The conviction of Imanuwela David on Monday for theft and conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal at the Phala Phala farm in Limpopo province in 2020, is a development in the scandal known as "Farmgate."
Froliana Joseph, a cleaner at the property, was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal. Her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph, was acquitted of all charges.
David was accused of breaking into the cattle farm in February 2020 and taking $580,000 in cash from a sofa. The court rejected David's claims that he made the money through businesses including diamonds and Bitcoin. It was found that David was the only one of the two convicted who had any of the stolen cash in his bank account. David reportedly went on a spending spree, purchasing vehicles including Mercedes and a Porsche, along with Rolex watches and a house.
Pre-sentencing is scheduled for November 13. The theft was largely unknown until 2022, when Arthur Fraser, South Africa's former intelligence chief, brought it to light. Fraser claimed Ramaphosa had hidden the theft from the police and tax authorities. Ramaphosa has admitted the theft occurred but denied any wrongdoing.
An independent panel in 2022 found that Ramaphosa could face questions regarding the burglary, but MPs voted against establishing an impeachment inquiry. In May of this year, the constitutional court ruled that parliament had acted unlawfully by shelving the panel's report. Ramaphosa subsequently blocked the parliamentary inquiry through a provincial court in July.