Man linked to Phala Phala burglary saga appears in court for an unrelated matter

A man allegedly linked to the burglary saga at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm has on Thursday appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court on an unrelated matter.

Urbanus Shaumbwako, who is a Namibian national, was arrested at a roadblock in the Milnerton area in October 2020 and has been charged with being in possession of 12 illegal firearms.

His name was mentioned in former State Security Agency head Arthur Fraser’s criminal complaint against Ramaphosa over the alleged theft of millions in foreign currency at the president’s Limpopo farm.

The firearms case against Shaumbwako was on the roll for possible plea negotiations on Thursday, but his lawyer told the court that they could not continue due to certain events that had taken place.

The lawyer said he received a call from the Hawks on 27 June informing him they’d met with his client earlier that day to discuss the apparent burglary at the president’s Phala Phala Farm.

The attorney said the officers told him Shaumbwako was a witness in the matter and not necessarily a suspect.

Shaumbwako’s lawyer has also requested the accused be moved to protective custody because he feared for his life, after being removed from his cell at Pollsmoor Prison and interrogated for hours in connection with a crime he had not been charged with.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s Eric Ntabazalila maintained Thursday’s case had no relevance to the Phala Phala matter.

The firearms matter has been postponed to 30 September.

-EWN

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