One of the five men accused of stealing an undisclosed amount of the US dollars from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm, yesterday threw a lavish birthday bash at his swanky lounge in Namibia, allegedly paid for by the proceeds of his daring heist.
Erkki Shikongo, one of the five Namibian nationals accused of breaking into Ramaphosa’s farm in Bela Bela, Limpopo, on February 9, 2020, hosted his lavish birthday party at Amanda Guest House in Outapi, north of Namibia, close to the Angolan border, yesterday.He gave away “free food”.
Shikongo bought the guest house for N$800 000 shortly after he and his friends allegedly robbed Ramaphosa’s farm.
Former spy boss Arthur Fraser, who blew the whistle on the farm robbery after opening a criminal case against Ramaphosa and his presidential protection head, Gen Wally Rhoode, at the Rosebank police station in June last year, claims there was between $4-million and $8-million on the farm when the men robbed it.
Sunday World can today exclusively reveal that an internal FNB Namibia document, which we have seen, states that Shikongo deposited N$1-million on March 11, 2020. A chunk of the money was spent on the purchase of the guest house.
The bank determined that Shikongo’s account must be closed because he is linked to the Phala Phala farm robbery, where “around 4-million US dollars (R60-million) were stolen.”
Shikongo also transferred:
- N$500 000 (R500 000) to an account held in the name of Tafelelo Technologies;
- N$110 000 on March 6, 2020, to an account held in the name of Immanuel Shaduka; and
- N$233 700 between April and May 2020 into an account held in the name of Ndapandula Aipanda.
The bank has since closed accounts belonging to Clement Shikongo, where N$2.9-million believed to be proceeds from the Phala Phala farm robbery, was deposited between March 11 and March 23, 2020.
Another account belonged to Ana Shikongo, in which N$500 000 was deposited on March 23, 2020.
The document explicitly states the money was part of the proceeds of the Phala Phala farm robbery. However, it doesn’t say how the two are related to Shikongo. The bank according to the papers, officially closed the accounts late last year.
The document also states that Shikongo could not explain how he made a “significant increase in turnover and N$ 5.3-million in cash deposits” into his bank account shortly after the Phala Phala robbery.
Shikongo also embarked on a shopping spree after the Phala Phala robbery. He bought a R1.7-million flat in Camps Bay, Cape Town, and another R300 000 property in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein. He also bought a VW Golf GTI.
Fraser, in his affidavit to the police, claims Shikongo transferred R715 000 for the car in February 2020.
Yesterday, Shikongo confirmed he was having “the mother of all parties” to celebrate his 49th birthday.
“Today I just want to have a good time, and I don’t want to talk about Phala Phala,” he said.
Shikongo added that he had lined up top DJs for his party.
“This party is fit for the king,” he said.
Fraser named Shikongo, Imanuwela David, Umbanus Shaumbwako, Petrus Muhekeni and Petrus Afrikaner as the men who robbed Ramaphosa’s farm. He also said the president didn’t report the crime to any police station.
Afrikaner also transferred cash into a number of accounts:
N$500 000 on February 26, 2020, into an account held in the name of Lovisa Kapenangolo;
- N$20 000 on March 25, 2020, into an account held in the name of Hafeni Avula;
- N$1.2-million into an account held in the name of Avula.
- N$5 000 into an account held in Hilaraia Ndapewa’s name between February 19 and June 11, 2020;
- N$2,900,000 between March 11 and 23, 2020, into an account held in the name of Clement Shikongo; and
- N$500 000 into an account held in Ana Bela’s name on March 23, 2020.
Namibian law enforcement agencies traced over R10-million that the men transferred from South Africa into different bank accounts in Namibia over six months.
The Namibian law enforcement agencies also asked for legal mutual assistance from their South African counterparts after freezing some bank accounts and assets, including the guest house.
However, it was all in vain as Pretoria did not comply.
Ramaphosa was cleared by the newly appointed public protector, Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka, of any wrongdoing in the Phala Phala scandal.
Opposition parties have taken her report on review as they strongly feel the president has a case to answer.
