ActionSA Takes SAPS to Court Over Alleged Phala Phala Disciplinary Cover-Up
- ActionSA filed a court application compelling SAPS to hand over disciplinary records linked to the Phala Phala farm robbery case
- The party is challenging proceedings that cleared two Presidential Protection Service members, Major General Wally Rhoode and Constable Rekhoto
- ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont described the disciplinary process as a 'sham' designed to shield officials close to the President
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GAUTENG — ActionSA has launched a legal challenge in the North Gauteng High Court, seeking to compel the South African Police Service to release disciplinary records relating to two Presidential Protection Service officers implicated in the Phala Phala farm robbery saga.
The application targets proceedings that resulted in the clearing of Major General Wally Rhoode and Constable Rekhoto, both of whom faced disciplinary action over their conduct during the investigation into the robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Limpopo farm.
Disciplinary records raise red flags
Having eventually obtained portions of the documentation, ActionSA says what it found was deeply troubling. Rhoode's disciplinary record comprised only four pages, while Rekhoto's ran to two. The party contends there is no indication that witnesses testified or that substantive evidence was placed before any presiding officer.
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ActionSA further alleges that neither the Public Protector nor the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) took part in the proceedings, despite both bodies having previously made findings against the two officers. The party also claims that misconduct provisions identified by IPID were omitted from the charge sheets.
ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont characterised the entire process as a "sham", alleging it was structured to protect officials accused of wrongdoing in relation to the President.
Two-stage legal battle
The court application is structured in two phases. The first seeks to compel SAPS to provide the complete disciplinary record. The party wants compliance reports submitted to the Public Protector and IPID, records concerning the appointment of presiding officers, charge sheets, and a 2023 statement by Rekhoto that was allegedly ruled inadmissible during his 2024 hearing.
The party also wants access to a 2020 incident book in which Rhoode allegedly recorded details of the robbery. ActionSA claims the book was subsequently removed from storage and kept in Rhoode's unsupervised custody while IPID was conducting its investigation.
The second phase of the application would seek to set aside the decisions clearing both officers and require SAPS to conduct fresh disciplinary proceedings.
Herman Mashaba calls Phala Phala an embarrassment
Previously, Briefly News reported that Herman Mashaba described the Phala Phala scandal as a serious embarrassment to the nation following the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the matter.Mashaba said that Parliament needed to take the necessary steps to hold Ramaphosa accountable. He further joined calls for Ramaphosa to resign before impeachment proceedings begin. The ActionSA leader said that Ramaphosa needed to save the country from any further embarrassment and resign with immediate effect.
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Source: Briefly News
