EXCLUSIVE | Phala Phala theft: The Dubai buyer, a buffalo and the stolen $600 000

Burglars stole an estimated $600 000 in cash from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farmhouse in February 2020 – far less than the millions of dollars initially speculated to have been taken. 

The amount, roughly R9 million, was paid to Ramaphosa’s farm manager, Hendrik von Wielligh, for the sale of one buffalo, News24 understands.

News24 believes the buyer was from Dubai, but the name of the person who paid in cash remains unknown, although it has been submitted to the Public Protector. The money was also not hidden under a mattress or couch cushion as has been widely speculated, but was stored in a cupboard.