JOHANNESBURG, Oct 11 (Reuters) – The ANC’s main coalition partner the Democratic Alliance called on Friday for a review of a decision by prosecutors not to charge South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over a theft from his game farm that nearly cost him his position two years ago.

The scandal, dubbed “Farmgate”, came to light when a former intelligence official told police in June 2022 about the incident and accused Ramaphosa of money laundering, corruption and covering up the theft.

Ramaphosa, a wealthy businessman before he became president, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

The Democratic Alliance, a former opposition party which joined a coalition with the African National Congress party after the ANC lost its majority in an election in May, said the decision not to prosecute anyone over the Phala Phala matter lacked transparency.

“The Phala Phala scandal is much too important to simply disappear without thorough scrutiny and full interrogation of the reasons behind this outcome,” it said in a statement.

In a statement issued late on Thursday, the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Limpopo province said the decision was taken after a careful assessment of all available evidence presented to the prosecutors.

There was no reasonable prospect of a successful prosecution based on the evidence at the prosecutors’ disposal, the statement said.

The country’s anti-corruption watchdog cleared Ramaphosa last year of a potential conflict of interest related to the affair, in which thieves made off with large sums of foreign currency hidden in furniture on his Phala Phala game farm in 2020.

Ramaphosa’s future hung in the balance in late 2022 after a report found evidence he may have committed misconduct over the scandal. But his party rallied around him, stopping an impeachment process from being launched. He was subsequently re-elected for another five years at the helm of the ANC.

The far-left opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), said it would not rest until Ramaphosa was held to account. The EFF has approached the constitutional court to try to revive impeachment proceedings against the president.

Ramaphosa has acknowledged there was a break-in at the farm in Limpopo, but he said the amount stolen was much lower than alleged and came from the sale of game.

Three suspects accused of being involved in the break-in appeared in court this week. Their case was postponed until next month.

(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya, Editing by Alexander Winning, Philippa Fletcher)