Phala Phala Trial Postponed, President Cyril Ramaphosa Won’t Testify During Court Proceedings

• The trial into the burglary at Phala Phala game farm has been postponed until September 2025
• One of the accused, Froliana Joseph, is unable to stand trial as she is heavily pregnant at the moment
• Froliana Joseph, her brother David Joseph, and Imanuwela David are accused of stealing from Cyril Ramaphosa’s game farm

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

LIMPOPO – The highly anticipated trial into the burglary at the Phala Phala farm has been postponed for three months. Froliana Joseph, her brother David Joseph, and Imanuwela David are accused of breaking into President Cyril Ramaphosa’s game farm and stealing $580,000 in cash.

Froliana was a cleaner at the farm and is believed to have told the other two about the money at the property, which led to the 2020 theft.

Trial postponed until September 2025

The trio appeared in the Modimolle Magistrate's Court in Limpopo on 19 May 2025, but their appearance was short-lived.

The lawyer for Froliana asked for a postponement in the matter, stating that the accused was unable to stand trial because she was heavily pregnant.

“Accused 2 is not in a position to proceed with the matter due to a medical condition. As a result, we ask that we adjourn the matter to a time where she will be in a good space and a good medical condition to proceed with the matter,” Relleng Masipa said.

The trial has now been postponed to 15 September 2025.

Ramaphosa won’t testify in Phala Phala case

The State confirmed that it had 23 witnesses ready to testify in the matter against the trio, but the president is not one of them. The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Mashudu Malabi-Dhzangi stated that the president would not be among the State’s witnesses.

"No, the people who are going to be involved in this are the managers of the farm; they are the complainants in this matter," Malabi-Dhzangi explained.

Politicians and the public at large have wanted Ramaphosa to explain why he had so much foreign currency at the premises, hoping that he would have to do so during the court case. The president has maintained that the money came from the sale of buffalo.

What you need to know about Phala Phala

• The South African Reserve Bank exonerated Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing in the Phala Phala farm theft.
• The National Prosecuting Authority declined to prosecute anyone related to the Phala Phala case.
• The Democratic Alliance slammed the NPA's decision not to prosecute anyone related to the theft.
• Cyril Ramaphosa was grilled in Parliament, but maintained his innocence when it came to Phala Phala.
• The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party accused the NPA of being captured after its decision not to prosecute.

ActionSA wants Phala Phala report declassified

Briefly News reported that ActionSA wants transparency when it comes to the Phala Phala game farm robbery.

The party submitted an application to obtain the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (IPID) report.

The report by IPID into the burglary at the president’s farm was declared classified and marked as top secret.

Source: Briefly News