In his responses to the Public Protector, President Ramaphosa named Mustafa as the individual who paid approximately R8 million in cash. The Public Protector is currently conducting an investigation into allegations that the President violated the Executive Members Ethics Act by failing to declare his business interests. The allegations are being investigated by the Public Protector.

During the majority of his time as deputy president, between the years 2012 and 2018, Cyril was Jacob Zuma’s special envoy to South Sudan. Zuma had been the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2009.

Tuesday was the first time that details of the president’s responses were made public by News24. At the time, News24 reported that Mustafa had not been positively identified; however, since that time, News24 has been able to confirm that Mustafa is the president of the Sudanese football team Al Merrikh SC.

Ramaphosa disclosed to the Public Protector that he went to Phala Phala on December 26, 2019, a day after Mustafa gave the cash to one of Ramaphosa’s employees. This information was provided in response to a question posed by the Public Protector.

The same worker was given instructions by Ramaphosa to remove cash from a safe that was located in the main building of the farm and relocate it to a more secure place.

Ramaphosa stated that the employee hid the cash below a cushion on a sofa at the president’s apartment on the farm. The cash was still there when the burglary occurred on February 9, 2020, 45 days after it had been placed there.

Mustafa paid a large sum of cash for goods that it appears he never attempted to collect, and Ramaphosa confirmed to the Public Protector that the group of buffalo had not left Phala Phala. This raises questions about the legitimacy of the transaction and casts doubt on whether or not it actually took place.

The corporate records of South African businesses do not disclose any direct or clear business interests associated with Mustafa in South Africa, and the records of Dubai businesses are just as opaque.

However, in 2017, the well-known and reputable online outlet SudaneseOnline reported that Mustafa was close to Al-Bashir and that the authorities in the UAE had frozen his assets and bank accounts as part of an investigation into his business partner, who was accused of espionage for unlawfully gaining access to bank account information of a government official. SudaneseOnline reported that Mustafa was close to Al-Bashir and that the UAE authorities had frozen his assets and bank accounts.

the publication identified a source that had a close relationship with Mustafa’s family, who disclosed that the assets of Mustafa’s company, Badr Overseas Company, had also been frozen.

According to the information provided on its website, Badr purports to conduct business under the name Dubai Chem and is involved in the production of oil and oil by-products. However, the website does not provide any independent verification that Mustafa is a director or shareholder of the company.

According to SudaneseOnline, “Businessman Hazim Mustafa started his life in the printing industry, as he owned a small printing press to print posters and advertising materials near the Farouk Mosque in Khartoum.” After that, he worked as a broker in the car dealership next to the former Meridien Hotel and established Makarim International Company for Import and Export. In addition, SudaneseOnline noted that Mustafa established Makarim International Company for Import.

She frequently shares images of herself on social media wearing pricey attire by famous brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Chanel, among others. Additionally, there are at least two distinct Ferrari sportscars that may be seen across the several photographs.

News24 attempted to contact Mustafa and O’Donoghue through their social media profiles and the email address that was published online; however, neither party responded immediately to these inquiries. Patrick O’Donoghue, O’Donoghue’s father, also communicated a request to talk with News24 to Mustafa, but he mentioned that the two were travelling at the time.

O’Donoghue lauded her husband in a post she made on Facebook in January 2021, thanking him for a donation of 50 million Sudanese pounds to the army of the country. This sum is equivalent to approximately R1.4 million. In October of 2021, the military carried out a bloody coup d’état, which resulted in the removal of the country’s civilian administration.