Namibia’s President Hage Geingob has been sucked into the “farmgate” scandal in which South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is accusing of allegedly covering up a crime where thieves stole millions in foreign currency illegally kept at his farm.
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Namibia wants the police to probe Geingob amid reports that he helped Ramaphosa to apprehend suspects who had broken into his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo province in February 2020.
It is alleged that the suspects fled to Namibia after stealing more than US$4 million from the farm and it is believed that Ramaphosa called on his Namibian counterpart for assistance to apprehend the thieves.
Reports claim that Geingob helped Ramaphosa to secretly kidnap and pay off the suspects after recovering the money.
The opposition party wants Geingob investigated for allegedly violating Namibia’s sovereignty by allowing Ramaphosa’s secret agents to invade that country for his personal issues.
“We want our president here in Namibia either to deny or we are going to open a case of which we will also go to all the law enforcement (agencies) to make sure that the investigation is carried forth, to make sure that whoever has been implicated in this whole saga should be brought to book,” EFF Namibia deputy president Kalimbo Lipumbu told the media.
In a case opened by South Africa’s former spy chief Arthur Fraser, Ramaphosa is accused of failing to notify the police about the crime in a move his accuser said was meant to conceal the fact that he was holding large sums of foreign currency at home.
The South Africa leader has, however, maintained his innocence, insisting that the allegations against him are part of a political plot to oust him from power.
JN/APA