Trial begins for 3 accused of stealing $580,000 hidden in couch at South Africa president's farm

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Three people went on trial in South Africa on Monday after being charged with housebreaking and stealing $580,000 in U.S. banknotes hidden in a couch at a game farm owned by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The strange case mired Ramaphosa in scandal and almost cost him his job after he was accused of tax evasion, money laundering and breaching foreign currency laws. He was also accused of trying to hide the existence of the money because the alleged theft happened in 2020, but was only revealed two years later.

The case has been dubbed “farmgate” in South Africa.

Ramaphosa, who campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket, was cleared of wrongdoing and survived a vote in Parliament over whether impeachment charges should be brought against him, but he is still under scrutiny over why such a large amount of money was stashed in a piece of furniture.

Ramaphosa has said the money came from the legitimate sale of animals at his Phala Phala game and livestock farm in the northern province of Limpopo, but hasn't explained why it was stashed in a couch.

The three defendants, two men and a woman who was a cleaner at the farm, are accused of breaking in and stealing the money in February 2020. They pleaded not guilty to the charges on the opening day of the trial on Monday.

The case came to light when the former head of the state security agency walked into a police station in June 2022 and filed a complaint against Ramaphosa. The spy boss, Arthur Fraser, accused Ramaphosa of hiding $4 million in the couch and using his personal police security detail to track down the thieves and bribe them to keep quiet about the money.

Ramaphosa and authorities disputed the amount of $4 million. Fraser claimed to have provided the police with “supporting evidence” in the form of pictures, videos and bank account information linked to the alleged theft.

Fraser's role in the scandal also became a source of intrigue because he is an ally of former President Jacob Zuma, the man Ramaphosa succeeded as president and his fierce political rival. Zuma was forced to resign as president in 2018 because of corruption allegations and has been critical of Ramaphosa since.

The case sent allegations of corruption against Ramaphosa swirling. While investigations by the police and the country’s financial authorities cleared him of wrongdoing, he still needed his party’s majority in Parliament to block a move to impeach him in December 2022.

Ramaphosa denied that he tried to hide the alleged theft from police and said he reported it to the head of his police protection unit.

Three years after the scandal first broke, the trial of the three suspects is expected to be closely watched for any role the president had in the affair. Ramaphosa was reelected for a second term last year, although only after his long-ruling African National Congress party lost its 30-year majority and had to form a coalition government.

The trial of defendants Imanuwela David, Ndilinasho Joseph and his sister Froliana Joseph has been delayed several times, including for Froliana Joseph to give birth. They are all charged with housebreaking, conspiracy to commit housebreaking and theft. David also faces money laundering charges.

Prosecutors expect the trial to run for three weeks and say they will call 20 witnesses, including staff members who worked at Ramaphosa's farm.

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