By Johnathan Paoli
Two of the three accused in the theft of $580,000 (about R10 million) from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm have been found guilty, while the third has been acquitted.
Presiding over the case at the Modimolle Regional Court in Limpopo on Monday, Magistrate Peter Manthata convicted alleged mastermind Imanuwela David and former farm employee Froliana Joseph of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal and theft.
Joseph’s brother, Ndilinasho Joseph, was acquitted.
“The court finds that the state proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against accused number one and two. And I find the accused’s version not to be reasonably possibly true in substance and I reject it,” Manthata said.
David was also convicted of housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, as well as money laundering under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
The money-laundering conviction followed evidence detailing how David allegedly used the stolen money to acquire luxury vehicles, jewellery and property while giving different accounts of the source of his wealth.
Manthata said David had told car dealers that he was a diamond dealer, suggesting that his wealth came from diamond transactions. He had also allegedly told a former girlfriend that he was involved in dealing in mercury.
The magistrate said the evidence showed that David had concealed and disguised the source of the money he was spending.
“After the dollars were stolen and the monies in the form of millions of rents were then deposited into his accounts, the evidence is very clear that he was in actual fact concealing and disguising the nature and the source of this particular money that he was using all over,” Manthata said.
The court heard that a property in Rustenburg had been registered in the name of one of David’s sisters and rented to a tenant who paid rent directly to him.
In another property transaction, instructions were allegedly given for the proceeds of a sale to be deposited into an account specified by David.
The court found that the state had proved the money-laundering charge against him beyond reasonable doubt.
The case stems from a February 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s wildlife farm, where $580,000 in cash was stolen from inside the president’s residence.
The money came from the sale of 20 buffaloes for $580,000 on December 25, 2019, according to evidence presented during the trial.
Dumisani Sylvester Ndlovu, the farm’s lodge manager, previously testified that businessman Mistafa Hassim had bought the buffaloes and paid him the money, which was initially kept in a safe.
Ndlovu said Ramaphosa had asked him to wait until the president returned from leave before dealing with the cash.
However, before leaving for the December holidays, Ndlovu moved the money into Ramaphosa’s house and hid it under a couch.
He testified that he had not told anyone where he had placed it.
Evidence presented during the trial included cellphone records allegedly placing the accused near the farm, banking transactions and purchases linked to David.
The defence argued that the state’s case was circumstantial and lacked direct DNA or fingerprint evidence connecting the accused to the burglary.
The court heard that David allegedly bought several luxury vehicles, including two Mercedes-Benz G63s valued at R1.2 million each, a BMW M5 worth R450,000 and a Porsche worth R800,000.
Other purchases allegedly included a Volkswagen Polo, a Volkswagen Golf 7, a Land Rover, a Rolex watch and residential property valued at R850,000.
David also allegedly exchanged $80,000 for rand through a currency dealer.
David, Froliana Joseph and Ndilinasho Joseph, all originally from Namibia and South African citizens, were arrested in November 2023, nearly three years after the burglary.
David and Froliana Joseph are expected to return to court next week for sentencing proceedings.
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