Updated by Faith Barbara Namagembe at 1050 EAT on Thursday 16th March 2023.

A corruption watchdog group said in a preliminary report that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was not involved in a cover-up concerning the theft of a large amount of cash he had stuffed into a sofa at his farmhouse.

Allegations of a cover-up about the theft of the money had hung over the president’s head for months and had almost cost him his presidency.

Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa spokesperson, said in a statement, “We reiterate that the president did not participate in any wrongdoing, nor did he violate the oath of his office.”

Ramaphosa will still be the focus of a police investigation into the money and where it came from and what he did after it was stolen.

The findings of the investigation have not been released publicly, but some media outlets have obtained copies of the report. They indicate the probe found that the head of the president’s protection service acted improperly when he launched an investigation into the theft of the cash without reporting it to the police.