Man guilty of stealing cash from farm owned by South African president

What the report says

A South African court has found Imanuwela David guilty of stealing cash from Phala Phala, the cattle farm owned by President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a case that has continued to dog the president politically. BBC World News reports that David was convicted of theft and of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal over the 2020 incident in Limpopo province. A cleaner at the farm, Froliana Joseph, was also found guilty of conspiracy, while her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph, was acquitted.

According to the report, the court accepted that more than $500,000 in cash was taken from a sofa at the property. David had argued that his wealth came from business activities including diamonds and Bitcoin, but the court rejected that explanation. The judge also found that David was the only one of the convicted defendants with any of the stolen money in a bank account.

The ruling is the latest chapter in what has become known as the Farmgate scandal. The theft was publicly exposed in 2022 after allegations by former intelligence chief Arthur Fraser that Ramaphosa had failed to report the burglary properly. Ramaphosa has acknowledged the theft but denied wrongdoing. The affair has triggered legal and parliamentary disputes and has contributed to an impeachment debate around the president. Sentencing is due on 13 November.