Phala Phala Investigation Finds at Least R15 Million Stolen, More Than Ramaphosa’s R10 Million Claim

• A forensic investigation into the Phala Phala matter revealed that more money was stolen than President Cyril Ramaphosa initially claimed
• Police connected cash deposits or direct cash transactions to one of the suspects, totalling nearly R15 million in 2020 and 2021 alone
• South Africans weighed in on the update on social media, questioning whether the president lied and whether the truth would come out

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.

LIMPOPO – A police forensic analysis has revealed that more money was stolen from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s game farm in 2020 than originally believed.

According to Ramaphosa, $580 000 (R9.5 million at that time) was stolen from Phala Phala. The President claimed that the money was proceeds from the sale of buffalo on his farm.

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The matter was not reported to police at the time, and only came to light two years later, sparking questions about why Ramaphosa didn’t mention anything, why he allegedly used State resources to track down the three suspects suspected of the crime, and just how much was stolen.

Forensic investigation shows Ramaphosa didn't provide accurate amount

A forensic investigation has now found that at least R15 million, and not the reported R10 million, was taken from the farm. The investigation also found that R8.2 million was deposited into the bank account of Imanuwela David, one of the suspects arrested. The money was deposited just days after the break-in and theft.

David spent an estimated R6.7 million on cars in cash transactions and also paid a driver $30,000 (R540,000 at the time) to drive him and the other two accused from Rustenburg to Gauteng overnight.

David is standing trial for the matter alongside Froliana Joseph, a former domestic worker at the farm, and her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph.

Police have been able to connect David to cash deposits or direct cash transactions totalling nearly R15 million in 2020 and 2021 alone. The report was compiled by a financial analyst from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in preparation for David's trial. It was based on hundreds of pages of bank statements obtained by the Hawks through subpoenas.

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The full financial analysis of the other suspects still needs to be finished, meaning that the total amount of stolen money could rise significantly higher than what was initially thought.

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.

South Africans react to the news

Social media users weighed in on the news, sharing varied reactions to it.

@_Msindazwe_ stated:

“We knew all of this, but the media and institutions like the Public Protector decided to protect him.”

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@Law_Jabs noted:

“And Arthur Fraser was promised R50 million if he stopped the case. It’s not make sure.”

@Mricho82 said:

“So, those couches were stuffed with a lot of unaccounted-for money.”

@XolaniMamkeli added:

“He is in serious trouble. He must face the music. He is a mafia president.”

@Katlegomdouva noted:

“So many crimes were committed there at Phala Phala. We were not told the full story.”

@Moreotsile21458 asked:

“Will the truth really come out about what actually happened at Phala Phala?”

@TerenceTaoSA stated:

“This was not the first and only time that he has done something like this. Do you know how complacent you must be to do something like this? To put money in a couch at a residence you don’t live in? You must be really relaxed. I check my banking app all the time to see if my money is still there.”

IPID blames technical issues for Phala Phala report delay

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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.

Source: Briefly News