Fraser confident Constitutional Court's Phala Phala ruling will prove everyone is equal, SA debates
- Arthur Fraser has shared his thoughts ahead of the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Phala Phala theft case
- An Independent Panel Report found prima facie evidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding constitutional violations
- South Africans took to social media to weigh in on Fraser's comments, sharing mixed reactions regarding the situation
Source: UGC
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
GAUTENG - Arthur Fraser has shared his thoughts ahead of the Constitutional Court’s ruling regarding Phala Phala, expressing confidence that everyone is equal before the law.
The Concourt is expected to rule on the National Assembly’s rejection of a Section 89 Independent Panel Report in December 2022 regarding the theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm.
The case focuses on whether Parliament acted constitutionally and rationally when it voted against adopting the report. The Section 89 Independent Panel Report found prima facie evidence that the president may have violated his oath of office regarding the cover-up of a robbery at Phala Phala.
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Speaking about his expectations ahead of the ruling on Friday, 8 May 2026, Fraser said that he trusted that the decision of the court would reaffirm that ‘we are all equal before the law’.
What did the Independent Panel Report find?
The report, which was released in November 2022, concluded that there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed serious violations of the Constitution and the law. It ruled that this justified an impeachment inquiry.
The panel found that not only did Ramaphosa act in a manner inconsistent with his office and expose himself to a conflict between his official responsibilities and private business interests, but also potentially violated the Constitution by engaging in other paid work through his farming business.
It stated that Ramaphosa should answer for allegedly instructing the Presidential Protection Unit to conduct a secret investigation using state resources without a registered case docket.
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The National Assembly maintains it acted within its discretionary powers in rejecting the report, but the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and African Transformation Movement (ATM) claimed it was an attempt to shield Ramaphosa.
The panel investigated the matter and released a report after Fraser, who is a former head of the State Security Agency, filed a criminal complaint at the Rosebank Police Station. He alleged that approximately $4 million was stolen from the farm in February 2020. He also claimed that the crime was covered up, and the suspects were allegedly kidnapped and before they were paid to keep quiet.
South Africans weigh in on Fraser’s comments
Social media users weighed in on Fraser’s thoughts about the matter, sharing mixed reactions to it. Lucky L. Mthombeni noted:
“It is alleged that Fraser knew about the burglary in 2020 but only reported the matter in 2022. Will the law charge him for hiding incriminating evidence for that long?”
Benjamin Mouers added:
“It is alleged that the State Security Services have been used to get dirt on Mr Zuma's political rivals. I really hope a Commission of Inquiry can be appointed to investigate the allegations.”
Johnson Matidza said:
“One of the greatest weaknesses of Ramaphosa is that instead of dealing with dictators, he gives them a second chance. After taking over, Cyril should have severely dealt with Arthur for how he failed to manage State Security, and yet, he sent him to Correctional Services. Imagine, you show people grace, they still want you dead.”
Oupa Machailo claimed:
“Cyril Ramaphosa has already doctored that report. It's going to come out in his favour.”
Werner Nel said:
“No, we are not (all equal). A normal citizen would already be in orange.”
Takuwani Netshineulu said:
“Arthur must be charged too because he failed to report the issues of State Capture, but decided to reveal the issue of Phala Phala. Which means, he is siding with other people. He said he has sensitive information about all former heads of state, but chose Cyril only.”
Thomas Mathivha asked:
“If we are all equal before the law, why did he release Zuma so early?”
What you need to know about the Phala Phala case
- The NPA announced that it would not prosecute anyone related to the Phala Phala scandal.
- The NPA encouraged parties to make use of the review process if they were unhappy with the decision.
- President Ramaphosa was grilled in Parliament in October 2024 about the Phala Phala saga, but he maintained his innocence.
- Police Minister Senzo Mchunu confirmed that IPID’s report into Phala Phala was marked as top secret.
- ActionSA demanded transparency regarding Phala Phala and wanted access to IPID’s report.
- The MK Party wanted the report to be made public, but citizens wanted all the focus on Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations first.
IPID blames technical issues for Phala Phala report delay
Briefly News reported that IPID blamed an email issue in June 2025 as the reason why it did not release the Phala Phala report.
Senzo Mchunu noted that the report was marked as top secret by IPID, but ActionSA requested to have it made public.
South Africans were left in disbelief at the excuse conjured up by IPID as to why it couldn't respond to ActionSA's request.
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Source: Briefly News
