Celani Sikhakhane
Two of the five men accused of attempting to steal President Cyril Ramaphosa’s R60-million at his Phala Phala farm have distanced themselves from it, claiming instead to be hustlers.
Erkki Shikongo, who lives a luxurious life in Cape Town, told the Sunday Times that everything he has he made by illegally smuggling gold, guns and cash between his native Namibia, Angola and South Africa.
“I am a hustler, but I didn’t steal the president’s cash. That gold, I bring it this side and I sell it here in Cape Town,” Shikongo told the newspaper.
“That’s where I get that money. If you want to exchange dollars in Angola, they will sell you dollars. There’s a place where you can exchange for dollars. But how come now they are now saying we are stealing the president’s money?”
The answer to that question is that former spy chief Arthur Fraser named Shikongo alongside Urbanus Shaumbwako, Petrus Muhekeni, Imanuwela David and Petrus Afrikaner as the perpetrators of an alleged burglary on the president’s property in February 2020.
Shikongo said he knew all those names except for Afrikaner.
Shikongo owns a R1.7-million flat that he bought in Camps Bay, Cape Town, a R300,000 property in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein, and a VW Golf GTI.
In his criminal complaint, Fraser alleged that Shikongo transferred the R715,000 to a car dealership the same month that the burglary took place. The other properties were bought later in 2020.
But Shikongo told the Sunday Times that all these assets were bought from the proceeds of R3-million that he made after he traded gold that was smuggled from Angola from a mine called “Lunda”.
A search conducted by the publication found no evidence that the mine exists.
Shikongo described Muhekeni as his brother, whilst Muhekeni said he is Shikongo’s “brother and cousin”.
Muhekeni, who works as an Uber and Bolt driver in Namibia, told the newspaper that he had nothing to do with the burglary and he is living on a government grant.
The EFF last week published footage purported to be of the attempted burglary.
The saga has mounted pressure on Ramaphosa, who was accused by Fraser of kidnapping and bribery. Parliament was disrupted last week by the EFF as they demanded that Ramaphosa should not be allowed to address the house until he provides clarity on unanswered questions about the allegations.
