South African prosecutors say they will not pursue criminal charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa in relation to the controversial farm theft scandal that nearly brought down the president two years ago.

A former spy chief laid a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa, accusing him of committing irregularities in trying to hide the theft of $4m (£3.25m) in cash at his game farm in the north-eastern Limpopo province.

The president denied any wrongdoing, saying that the money stolen from his sofa in 2020 came from the legitimate sale of buffaloes at his Phala Phala farm.

The decision not to bring any charges against Ramaphosa or anyone else came after “a comprehensive investigation process”, prosecutors said.

Ramaphosa survived the so-called “farmgate” scandal and was re-elected as president in June, albeit after being forced to form a coalition, while the criminal investigations were still ongoing.

Source:BBC