President Ramaphosa’s Farm Burglary Suspects to Appear in Court, $500k Game Proceeds Stolen, South Africa

Two men accused of burglarizing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in South Africa are set to appear in court on Tuesday. The suspects allegedly stole $500,000 in game proceeds from the president’s property in 2020. The high-profile burglary caused a political scandal, with calls for Ramaphosa’s resignation over allegations of breaching ethics codes. Former spy boss Arthur Fraser claimed that Ramaphosa concealed the theft and broke the law by not reporting it. Ramaphosa’s head of security and political advisor were also implicated in an alleged cover-up. Investigations were launched, but Ramaphosa has since been cleared of any complicity by the Office of the Public Protector and the South African Reserve Bank. The Hawks, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, announced that a 30-year-old and a 39-year-old have been charged with theft and housebreaking in connection with the Phala Phala farm break-in. The arrest of a third suspect is said to be imminent.