Geingob fingered in SA Phala Phala report
Ramaphosa expected to resign over scandal
Both Geingob and Ramaphosa are accused of a grand cover-up and abuse of state resources in a robbery for which no formal charges have been filed in either country.
President Hage Geingob’s alleged assistance to his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in apprehending a suspect in a robbery at the latter’s Phala Phala farm amounted to abuse of position by Ramaphosa, an inquiry found, leaving Geingob’s own reputation in tatters.
A report on the matter, presented to South Africa’s national assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has highlighted the extent Geingob allegedly went to to help apprehend Imanuwela David, one of the men accused of stealing about N$13 million from Ramaphosa’s farm.
The Namibian Presidency previously stated that Geingob did not act inappropriately in the saga.
A Section 89 panel, headed by former South African chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, found that Ramaphosa may have violated the constitution and anti-corruption laws of his country.
On Geingob, the Ngcobo report stated: “Significantly, the statement does not deny that President Ramaphosa ‘sought assistance [from Geingob] in apprehending the concerned suspect’. Nor does it deny that the request was acceded to”.
In July, Namibian Sun reported that head of the South African presidential protection services Wally Rhoode confirmed in his affidavit that Geingob met Ramaphosa’s envoy Bejani Chauke in June 2020, at the height of investigations into the Phala Phala robbery.
Rhoode confirmed travelling to Windhoek with Chauke in a Namibian Police helicopter after a meeting at ‘no man's land’ near the Naskop border post.
“There is suspicion Rhoode and Chauke may not have complied with Namibian immigration laws when they flew into the country.
Serious violation
The leaked report was handed over to Mapisa-Nqakula to determine whether there would be any ground to impeach Ramaphosa, who was set to resign last night following allegations that he had kept cash in excess of US$500 000 on his game farm and lied about its origins.
Former South African spy chief Arthur Fraser broke news of the Phala Phala robbery earlier this year when he opened a case against Ramaphosa.
The report found that the South African president may have committed a serious violation of the constitution in respect of paid work.
The panel also unearthed that he may have violated the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act for failing to report the theft directly to the police.
Ramaphosa is also alleged to have committed serious misconduct by acting in a way that was inconsistent with his office, and that he exposed himself to a situation involving a conflict between his official responsibilities and his private business.
He is alleged to have ordered Rhoode, his former security boss, to kick-start investigations into David.
Geingob’s alleged role
According to the report, there is evidence Rhoode and a team received assistance from the Namibian Police.
“We are satisfied, as a matter of probability, that the South African authorities that met the Namibian Police authorities at no man’s land was the team that was investigating the burglary and theft at Phala Phala.
Ramaphosa had actively sought Geingob’s assistance, it added.
“President Ramaphosa requested the president of Namibia to assist with the apprehension of David, the mastermind behind the farm housebreaking and theft.”
Two weeks after Chauke and Rhoode met Geingob, David was arrested in Windhoek and charged with immigration-related offences related to entering the country through an undesignated point. Geingob had previously denied using Namibian institutions and public resources to help Ramaphosa, yet a surfaced Namibian Police intelligence report detailed how David was extensively interrogated about the Phala Phala robbery by Namibian police officers.
In apparent efforts to cover up the farm theft, David was only charged with an immigration misdemeanour, for which he was fined before being deported to South Africa, where he faced further interrogations by Ramaphosa’s men.
Kept under wraps
The Bank of Namibia’s Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) also conducted its own investigation into how the Phala Phala loot made it into Namibia, and submitted its findings - which were never made public - to relevant authorities.
The Ngcobo report noted that Ramaphosa had not reported the theft of monies hidden on his farm, with the intention of keeping the matter private.
“This crime was not reported to the [South African Police Service] in Bela Bela, Limpopo, where the farm is located. As a consequence, there was no case number or a docket pertaining to this crime.
“There was a deliberate decision to keep the investigation secret,” it said.
It further questioned how David had confessed to stealing US$800 000, but was not detained.
“It remains a disturbing feature of the investigation conducted by General Rhoode and his team that the president’s private residence was broken into and an undisclosed sum of money in US dollars, probably more than US$580 000, was stolen; suspects, or at least one of them... was detained, interviewed, and confessed to the crime, yet no one was either convicted of this crime...” the report said.
Comment was sought from Namibian presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari yesterday, but to no avail.
A Namibian constitutional expert said: “The Namibian Presidency and Namibian Police have serious questions to answer. They can no longer hide behind angry press releases".
A report on the matter, presented to South Africa’s national assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has highlighted the extent Geingob allegedly went to to help apprehend Imanuwela David, one of the men accused of stealing about N$13 million from Ramaphosa’s farm.
The Namibian Presidency previously stated that Geingob did not act inappropriately in the saga.
A Section 89 panel, headed by former South African chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, found that Ramaphosa may have violated the constitution and anti-corruption laws of his country.
On Geingob, the Ngcobo report stated: “Significantly, the statement does not deny that President Ramaphosa ‘sought assistance [from Geingob] in apprehending the concerned suspect’. Nor does it deny that the request was acceded to”.
In July, Namibian Sun reported that head of the South African presidential protection services Wally Rhoode confirmed in his affidavit that Geingob met Ramaphosa’s envoy Bejani Chauke in June 2020, at the height of investigations into the Phala Phala robbery.
Rhoode confirmed travelling to Windhoek with Chauke in a Namibian Police helicopter after a meeting at ‘no man's land’ near the Naskop border post.
“There is suspicion Rhoode and Chauke may not have complied with Namibian immigration laws when they flew into the country.
Serious violation
The leaked report was handed over to Mapisa-Nqakula to determine whether there would be any ground to impeach Ramaphosa, who was set to resign last night following allegations that he had kept cash in excess of US$500 000 on his game farm and lied about its origins.
Former South African spy chief Arthur Fraser broke news of the Phala Phala robbery earlier this year when he opened a case against Ramaphosa.
The report found that the South African president may have committed a serious violation of the constitution in respect of paid work.
The panel also unearthed that he may have violated the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act for failing to report the theft directly to the police.
Ramaphosa is also alleged to have committed serious misconduct by acting in a way that was inconsistent with his office, and that he exposed himself to a situation involving a conflict between his official responsibilities and his private business.
He is alleged to have ordered Rhoode, his former security boss, to kick-start investigations into David.
Geingob’s alleged role
According to the report, there is evidence Rhoode and a team received assistance from the Namibian Police.
“We are satisfied, as a matter of probability, that the South African authorities that met the Namibian Police authorities at no man’s land was the team that was investigating the burglary and theft at Phala Phala.
Ramaphosa had actively sought Geingob’s assistance, it added.
“President Ramaphosa requested the president of Namibia to assist with the apprehension of David, the mastermind behind the farm housebreaking and theft.”
Two weeks after Chauke and Rhoode met Geingob, David was arrested in Windhoek and charged with immigration-related offences related to entering the country through an undesignated point. Geingob had previously denied using Namibian institutions and public resources to help Ramaphosa, yet a surfaced Namibian Police intelligence report detailed how David was extensively interrogated about the Phala Phala robbery by Namibian police officers.
In apparent efforts to cover up the farm theft, David was only charged with an immigration misdemeanour, for which he was fined before being deported to South Africa, where he faced further interrogations by Ramaphosa’s men.
Kept under wraps
The Bank of Namibia’s Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) also conducted its own investigation into how the Phala Phala loot made it into Namibia, and submitted its findings - which were never made public - to relevant authorities.
The Ngcobo report noted that Ramaphosa had not reported the theft of monies hidden on his farm, with the intention of keeping the matter private.
“This crime was not reported to the [South African Police Service] in Bela Bela, Limpopo, where the farm is located. As a consequence, there was no case number or a docket pertaining to this crime.
“There was a deliberate decision to keep the investigation secret,” it said.
It further questioned how David had confessed to stealing US$800 000, but was not detained.
“It remains a disturbing feature of the investigation conducted by General Rhoode and his team that the president’s private residence was broken into and an undisclosed sum of money in US dollars, probably more than US$580 000, was stolen; suspects, or at least one of them... was detained, interviewed, and confessed to the crime, yet no one was either convicted of this crime...” the report said.
Comment was sought from Namibian presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari yesterday, but to no avail.
A Namibian constitutional expert said: “The Namibian Presidency and Namibian Police have serious questions to answer. They can no longer hide behind angry press releases".
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