South African prosecutors decide not to pursue case against President Ramaphosa in 'farmgate' scandal

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) – South African prosecutors will not pursue criminal charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa in a case related to a controversial robbery at his private game ranch in 2020, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said.

Ramaphosa has been accused of withholding information about the theft of large sums of money from his private game farm in the northeast Limpopo province.

Former South African intelligence chief Arthur Fraser made the matter public when he filed a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa, accusing him of money laundering and failing to report the robbery of over $4 million at his farm to the police.

The president denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the money stolen from his farm came from "proceeds from the sale of (the) game."

“I have never stolen taxpayers’ money. I want to reaffirm that I was not involved in any criminal conduct,” said Ramaphosa.

He added that the amount of money stolen was not as much as the complainant claimed.

The case, which received a lot of media attention, nearly cost Ramaphosa his office when lawmakers debated the report in parliament, prompting an impeachment process against the president.

Members of parliament were allowed to vote on impeaching Ramaphosa, but 214 voted against his removal, compared to 148 in favor.

The NPA announced late Thursday that they would not prosecute Ramaphosa or any other suspects involved in the robbery at his farm following a thorough investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (DPCI) following a complaint put forward with the police by Arthur Fraser.