00:00It's more than six years since $580,000 hidden inside a couch was stolen from South African
00:07President Cyril Ramaphores' Palo Palo game farm in Limpopo province.
00:12On Monday, a court found the mastermind, Emanuela David, guilty on three of the four charges
00:17against him, including money laundering.
00:19A cleaner at the farm was found guilty of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent
00:24to steal while her brother was acquitted.
00:26The magistrate criticised shortcomings in the investigation into the theft, but said
00:31circumstantial evidence, including financial transactions and David's subsequent purchases,
00:36was sufficient to secure convictions.
00:39The so-called Farmgate scandal erupted in June 2022 when a former spy chief lodged a police
00:44complaint accusing Ramaphores of concealing the theft.
00:48The president subsequently faced intense scrutiny over where the foreign currency had come from
00:53and accusations he'd concealed the theft from police and tax authorities.
00:57He denied any wrongdoing.
00:59The matter has been postponed to the 13th of November for sentencing.
