Namibian Ramaphosa ‘robber’ in SA jail
Urbanus Shaumbwako, one of the Namibian men accused of allegedly stealing US$4 million from South African president Cyril Ramaphosa's farm, is languishing in a Cape Town jail for possession of an unlicenced firearm.
Gauteng weekly Sunday Independent confirmed that Shaumbwako, a Namibian national with a South African identity book, was arrested in October 2020.
The gun is believed to have been used in several robberies. His arrest was kept under the radar.
He is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court next month.
Shaumbwako is one of the five men named by former state security boss Arthur Fraser, in his affidavit to the police, as being responsible for the theft at Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm in Bela-Bela, Limpopo, in February 2020.
Fraser opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa and the head of the presidential protection unit, Wally Rhoode, for allegedly kidnapping and torturing five men, including Shaumbwako, to reveal where they had stashed their loot.
Ramaphosa did not report the robbery to the police.
Buy their silence
In his affidavit submitted at the Rosebank police station in Johannesburg, Fraser alleged that after the five men made their confession and some of their loot was recovered, Rhoode “instructed” Ramaphosa to pay them N$150 000 each to buy their silence.
Fraser’s lawyer, Eric Mabuza, issued a press statement confirming that his client met with members of the directorate for priority crime investigation (Hawks) probing the matter “in order to assist their investigation”.
“He has furnished the Hawks with additional information and details to enable them to do their work,” the statement said.
Sunday Independent broke the story online two weeks ago that the former spy boss opened criminal charges against Ramaphosa, detailing how the robbery was allegedly pulled off with the assistance of the president's housekeeper.
She, too, was allegedly paid N$150 000 not to talk about the incident.
Shopping spree
The men, all Namibian nationals, fled to Cape Town after the robbery and went on a shopping spree, buying cars, including a Lamborghini and a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon, before fleeing to Namibia.
It is alleged that the heist mastermind, Imanuwela David, smuggled N$7 million into Namibia when he canoed through the Orange River on 12 June 2020 and entered the country illegally.
Two days later, he was arrested in Windhoek for illegally entering Namibia and contravening the Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
One of his alleged accomplices Erkki Shikongo bought a guest house for N$800 000 in Outapi.
Fraser claims that Ramaphosa sought the help of his Namibian counterpart, president Hage Geingob, “in apprehending the suspect in Namibia”.
Geingob has denied the allegations.
Ramaphosa and Geingob have failed to come clean and explain their full roles in the scandal, with the Namibian presidency this week quashing any possibility of investigating the president, according to Namibian Sun.
However, Ramaphosa has admitted that the robbery occurred at his farm. He has, however, failed to answer any relevant questions about the crime.
A confidential report, compiled by former Namibian crime investigations department head Nelius Becker, dated 21 June 2020, stated that “discussions are allegedly ongoing between the countries’ two presidents”. This has been vehemently denied by Geingob in his media statement released last week.
Forfeited luxury items
After spending more than four months in a Namibian jail, David pleaded guilty to two charges on 13 November 2020 – one for entering Namibia illegally and the second for failing to declare goods he brought into the country. He was found guilty and sentenced to a year in jail or N$5 000 for count one, and 24 months in prison or N$15 000 for count two.
He was also forced to forfeit his luxury watches - a Rolex worth N$280 000 and a TAG Heuer worth N$28 000, as well as a gold chain worth N$163 000 and US$1 100 in cash.
He was given 48 hours to leave Namibia and returned to South Africa the following day.
Gauteng weekly Sunday Independent confirmed that Shaumbwako, a Namibian national with a South African identity book, was arrested in October 2020.
The gun is believed to have been used in several robberies. His arrest was kept under the radar.
He is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court next month.
Shaumbwako is one of the five men named by former state security boss Arthur Fraser, in his affidavit to the police, as being responsible for the theft at Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm in Bela-Bela, Limpopo, in February 2020.
Fraser opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa and the head of the presidential protection unit, Wally Rhoode, for allegedly kidnapping and torturing five men, including Shaumbwako, to reveal where they had stashed their loot.
Ramaphosa did not report the robbery to the police.
Buy their silence
In his affidavit submitted at the Rosebank police station in Johannesburg, Fraser alleged that after the five men made their confession and some of their loot was recovered, Rhoode “instructed” Ramaphosa to pay them N$150 000 each to buy their silence.
Fraser’s lawyer, Eric Mabuza, issued a press statement confirming that his client met with members of the directorate for priority crime investigation (Hawks) probing the matter “in order to assist their investigation”.
“He has furnished the Hawks with additional information and details to enable them to do their work,” the statement said.
Sunday Independent broke the story online two weeks ago that the former spy boss opened criminal charges against Ramaphosa, detailing how the robbery was allegedly pulled off with the assistance of the president's housekeeper.
She, too, was allegedly paid N$150 000 not to talk about the incident.
Shopping spree
The men, all Namibian nationals, fled to Cape Town after the robbery and went on a shopping spree, buying cars, including a Lamborghini and a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon, before fleeing to Namibia.
It is alleged that the heist mastermind, Imanuwela David, smuggled N$7 million into Namibia when he canoed through the Orange River on 12 June 2020 and entered the country illegally.
Two days later, he was arrested in Windhoek for illegally entering Namibia and contravening the Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
One of his alleged accomplices Erkki Shikongo bought a guest house for N$800 000 in Outapi.
Fraser claims that Ramaphosa sought the help of his Namibian counterpart, president Hage Geingob, “in apprehending the suspect in Namibia”.
Geingob has denied the allegations.
Ramaphosa and Geingob have failed to come clean and explain their full roles in the scandal, with the Namibian presidency this week quashing any possibility of investigating the president, according to Namibian Sun.
However, Ramaphosa has admitted that the robbery occurred at his farm. He has, however, failed to answer any relevant questions about the crime.
A confidential report, compiled by former Namibian crime investigations department head Nelius Becker, dated 21 June 2020, stated that “discussions are allegedly ongoing between the countries’ two presidents”. This has been vehemently denied by Geingob in his media statement released last week.
Forfeited luxury items
After spending more than four months in a Namibian jail, David pleaded guilty to two charges on 13 November 2020 – one for entering Namibia illegally and the second for failing to declare goods he brought into the country. He was found guilty and sentenced to a year in jail or N$5 000 for count one, and 24 months in prison or N$15 000 for count two.
He was also forced to forfeit his luxury watches - a Rolex worth N$280 000 and a TAG Heuer worth N$28 000, as well as a gold chain worth N$163 000 and US$1 100 in cash.
He was given 48 hours to leave Namibia and returned to South Africa the following day.
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