LIMPOPO. – Two of the three accused in the theft of US$580,000 from President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm have been found guilty. The Modimolle regional court delivered its verdict on Monday in the Phala Phala theft case linked to the break-in in February 2020.
Mashudu Malabi, NPA regional spokesperson, says Imanuwela David has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal, housebreaking, theft and money laundering. Froliana Joseph has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal, while Ndilinasho Joseph has been acquitted on all charges.
The court found that there was no direct evidence identifying the accused as the thieves and that the state's case rested mainly on circumstantial evidence. Shortcomings in the investigation were also noted, but the court found the available evidence was sufficient to convict David and Joseph. Evidence of David's purchases of various luxury vehicles, Rolex watches with diamonds and a house in Rustenburg after the break-in was also considered. His explanations for the source of his wealth were rejected by the court.
The case has been postponed to 13 November for sentencing proceedings.
The Phala Phala theft occurred in February 2020, when US$580,000 was stolen from the president's farmhouse. The incident gained nationwide attention in June 2022 after Arthur Fraser, former head of the state security agency, filed a criminal complaint. The case subsequently led to several investigations and political controversy.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
