South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa can't shake the stench of cash. The so-called 'Phala Phala' scandal, in which half a million dollars in foreign currency was allegedly stolen from a sofa at his game farm, has refused to fade. New documents obtained by this desk reveal that the president's explanation is unravelling faster than a cheap suit.
The saga began in 2020 when Ramaphosa reported a burglary at his Limpopo farm. He claimed $580,000 in cash was hidden in a sofa cushion. He said the money came from the sale of buffalo to a Sudanese businessman. But that explanation has been met with increasing scepticism. South Africa's central bank has strict foreign exchange controls. Taking that amount of cash out of the country is illegal without a permit. Sources close to the investigation confirm that no such permit was ever granted.
The scandal has dogged Ramaphosa since it broke. It led to a damning report by a parliamentary panel that found he might have violated the constitution. That report nearly forced his resignation in 2022. But he clung on. Now, new whistleblower testimony suggests the money was not from buffalo at all. A former employee of the farm has told investigators that the cash was part of a larger slush fund used to influence ANC party elections. The employee claims bags of money were regularly brought to the farm in diplomatic pouches.
Ramaphosa's office has denied the claims, calling them 'outlandish'. But the paper trail is growing. Bank records show that one of the president's associates made several large deposits into accounts belonging to party officials in the months before the 2017 ANC elective conference. The conference was won by Ramaphosa in a narrow victory. The timing is more than coincidental.
The scandal has become a political weapon for his rivals. Former president Jacob Zuma, no stranger to corruption allegations, has seized on it. His son Duduzane has publicly stated that Ramaphosa 'should answer for the sofa money'. The ANC is divided. Internal factions are calling for Ramaphosa to step down ahead of next year's elections. But his allies are circling the wagons.
The independent panel that investigated the matter, led by a former chief justice, submitted its report in December 2022. It found that Ramaphosa had a case to answer. But parliament voted down the report, saving the president. Critics say it was a cover-up. Now, the National Prosecuting Authority is under pressure to reopen the case. Sources say prosecutors have been reviewing evidence since March. A source close to the NPA told this desk that a decision on whether to charge Ramaphosa is expected within weeks.
If charged, Ramaphosa would be the first sitting president in South African history to face criminal proceedings. The political fallout would be catastrophic. The rand would tank. International investors would flee. The ANC's electoral prospects would be in tatters.
But Ramaphosa has survived before. He is a master of political survival. He outmanoeuvred Zuma. He weathered the 'CR17' campaign funding scandal. He might yet talk his way out of this. But the sofa money keeps coming back. It's the scandal that refuses to die. And with an election looming, it might be the one that finally does for him.
