A farm worker has been found guilty of stealing foreign currency hidden at Phala Phala, the game farm owned by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and the conviction is only deepening the political storm that has surrounded the property for years.
The theft sits at the heart of what South Africans have taken to calling "Farmgate," a scandal that erupted after large sums of cash, reportedly stashed inside furniture on the farm, were stolen and the matter was not immediately reported to police through official channels. Critics questioned why so much foreign currency was being kept on private property in the first place, and the whole affair pulled Ramaphosa into a bruising impeachment inquiry that tested his grip on the presidency.
The guilty verdict closes one chapter of the story, but it opens up fresh questions. With a conviction now on record, attention turns back to the president and the circumstances that made a game farm in Limpopo the most talked-about address in South African politics. Watch this space.
Originally published by BBC Africa.