Man Found Guilty of Stealing Over $500,000 from South African President's Farm

A court in South Africa has found a man guilty of stealing more than $500,000 (£372,822) in cash from a farm owned by President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a case that has mired the head of state in an impeachment saga. Imanuwela David was found guilty of theft on Monday, as well as conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal at the Phala Phala farm in Limpopo province in 2020. 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 on all charges. David was accused of breaking into the cattle farm in February 2020 and taking $580,000 (£432,000) in cash from a sofa on the property. Prosecutors said he then went on a spending spree, buying a range of cars including three Mercedes, one of them for his girlfriend, a Porsche and two Volkswagens, as well as diamond-encrusted Rolex watches and a house. David told the court he had made the money through businesses, including diamonds and Bitcoin, claims the court rejected. The court also found that David was the only one of the two convicted defendants who had any of the stolen cash in his bank account. Pre-sentencing proceedings will take place on 13 November. The verdict marks the latest development in the affair known as the Farmgate scandal, which involved numerous twists and turns. The theft remained largely unknown until 2022, when Arthur Fraser, South Africa's former intelligence chief and an ally of former president Jacob Zuma, brought it to light by claiming that Ramaphosa had hidden the theft from the police and tax authorities. Ramaphosa admitted the theft took place but has denied any wrongdoing. An independent panel later that same year found that Ramaphosa could have questions to answer over the burglary, but members of parliament voted against establishing an impeachment inquiry. The legal battles continued this year. In May, the Constitutional Court ruled that parliament had acted unlawfully by shelving the panel's report, and in July Ramaphosa blocked the parliamentary inquiry through a provincial court.