The SARS has opened a criminal case against Phala Phala buffalo buyer Hazim Mustafa, who allegedly paid $580 000 in cash to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm manager in December 2019.

According to Ramaphosa, it was Mustafa's money, paid to secure 20 buffalo, that was stolen from his farm near Bela Bela in Limpopo two months later.

SARS registered the case at the Brooklyn police station in April 2023, and the subsequent investigation has been kept under wraps due to the secrecy provisions under which the tax authority conducts its affairs.

A SARS spokesperson told News24 that it was prohibited by law from disclosing confidential taxpayer information, ‘including any investigations involving taxpayers’.

The docket has since been transferred to the Hawks.

Spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo confirmed the investigation, but said no further details could be disclosed as the probe was ongoing. 

News24 has established that the case centres around a document that Mustafa, a Sudanese national, provided to the police and SARS upon request.

He claimed the document was a copy of the declaration of foreign currency he completed at OR Tambo International Airport on 23 December 2019 when he arrived from his country of residence, Dubai.

Mustafa first showed the document to SkyNews reporters, but did not hand over a copy.

The document is believed to be potentially fraudulent, but the details of why SARS officials believe so are unknown.

Full News24 report