Cyril Ramaphosa, Patrice Motsepe Settle on R2.1m for President's Ankole Cow at Auction, SA Slams Dealings
- President Cyril Ramaphosa made some big money moves at the weekend, which didn't escape the wandering eye of South Africans
- Patrice Motsepe, the brother of Tshepo Motsepe, the president's wife, forked out over R2 million for one of Ramaphosa's Ankole cows
- For all his wealth, locals berated Ramaphosa for his supposed lack of social responsibility in light of the plight of poor citizens
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BELA-BELA - An auction featuring some of South Africa's wealthiest farmers, the president of the country and one of the richest men in the land was the order of the day at a wildlife house in Limpopo at the weekend.
The auction house belongs to none other than Cyril Ramaphosa, who, dressed casually to match the atmosphere for the events on the day, pocketed over R10 million for his Ankole, a Ugandan breed of domestic cattle.
Source: Getty Images
His brother-in-law, mining magnate Patrice Motsepe, played a starring role in paving the way towards Ramaphosa's handsome takings – having bought four females cows for nearly R5 million – and paying a shade over R2 million for one belonging to Ramaphosa.
The president parted with his Ntaba Nyoni Ankola, Baron and Bonsmara cattle at the auction ahead of breaking the bank, BusinessInsider reported. Long before his ascent to the summit of South Africa's political office, Ramaphosa was occupied with a project to import the cattle breed from East Africa.
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Over the past six years, demand for Ankole cattle in the country has been on a continued rise, and breeders have been paying eye-watering prices for top of the range bulls and cows, according to a BusinessLIVE report.
Online sleuths have field day
The president's moves sparked a huge debate among South Africans, who went on long tirades about how the president pays no mind to the plight of the poor yet flaunts his excessive wealth without giving it a second thought.
Briefly News takes a look at some of the loudest reactions to the recent event below.
@Jacob Sibanda wrote:
"But why [did] a multi-millionaire take a turn into politics? Come when barrelled from being a president they will say he stole state money to fund his farming ambition. Please, mark my words."
@Bhekumuzi Buthelezi said:
"Ramaphosa flaunts his wealth in the face of poverty. His riches prevent him from seeing beyond and trying to reclaim monies from ANC cadres."
@Lindokuhle Kwazi Memela added:
"Brothers-in-law trading a cow for millions while the country is left to starve. No real aid, no infrastructure and probably no realistic plan out of this but to take more and more from the country."
Source: Briefly News
