Court convicts man in President Cyril Ramaphosa farm theft

Pretoria A South African court has convicted a man of stealing more than $580,000 from President Cyril Ramaphosa's farm, a theft that sparked a political scandal. Imanuwela David was found guilty on Monday of theft and plotting a break-in at the Phala Phala farm in Limpopo province. The robbery took place in February 2020. Froliana Joseph, who worked as a cleaner at the property, was also convicted of helping plan the break-in. Her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph, was cleared of all charges. The stolen money had been hidden inside a sofa. David was accused of later buying luxury cars, watches and a house. He told the court that his wealth came from diamond and Bitcoin businesses. The court rejected his explanation. It found that, among the two people convicted, only David had received stolen money in his bank account. The court will hold proceedings before sentencing on November 13. The theft became public in 2022 when former intelligence chief Arthur Fraser accused Ramaphosa of hiding the robbery from police and tax authorities. Fraser's allegations suggested about $4 million had been stolen. Ramaphosa disputed that figure, saying the money was roughly $580,000 earned from selling buffalo. He acknowledged the robbery but denied wrongdoing. The case, widely called FarmGate, led to demands for an investigation and possible impeachment. A parliamentary panel raised concerns about Ramaphosa's conduct, but lawmakers rejected an impeachment inquiry. In May 2026, the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament had acted unlawfully in setting aside the panel's report. Ramaphosa later secured a provincial court order blocking the parliamentary inquiry in July. He argued that the allegations relied on rumours and that the report had serious flaws. He has refused to resign, maintaining that stepping down would give weight to the disputed report.