Africa-Press – South-Africa. The businessman at the centre of the Phala Phala scandal reportedly said he was willing to testify in any legal proceedings.
Dubai-based Hazim Mustafa was named in a report probing allegations of a cover-up after more than $500 000 was stolen from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in February 2020.
A panel, headed by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, recently released a report, finding that Ramaphosa had a case to answer and that he may have broken the law. It also found that he may have exposed himself to a situation involving a conflict between his official duties and his private business.
Mustafa told Sky News he was cooperating with South African authorities. He reportedly bought 20 buffaloes from Phala Phala for $580 000 (about R10 million) cash in December 2019.
“Anything to help justice and to show the truth. I have nothing to hide,” he was quoted as saying.
Mustafa reportedly brought $600 000 cash (about R10.5 million) into South Africa during a visit in December 2019. The money was reportedly intended for buying a house.
However, he decided instead to turn his sights to buffalo breeding and said he was advised to buy the animals from Phala Phala by “people who work in safaris”.
News24 previously reported that Mustafa reportedly said he celebrated Christmas and his wife’s birthday in Limpopo in 2019, and that he dealt with a broker when he bought the buffaloes.
He reportedly said the animals were to be prepared for export, but they were never delivered due to the Covid-19 lockdown. He understood he would be refunded after the delays.
Mustafa has insisted that he did not know the farm was owned by Ramaphosa.
The businessman is the owner of the Sudanese football club Al-Merrikh SC. He is married to Bianca O’Donoghue, who hails from KwaZulu-Natal.
O’Donoghue regularly takes to social media to post snaps of a life of wealth – including several pictures in designer labels and next to a purple Rolls Royce Cullinan, a luxury SUV worth approximately R5.5 million.
Mustafa had ties to former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
On Tuesday, members of Parliament will decide whether they should adopt the Section 89 panel’s report into Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala dealings.
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