The three accused of theft of foreign currency at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm have appeared in the Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo.
Imanuwela David and siblings, Froliana and David Joseph, appeared in the Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court today.
The case relates to the theft of around US$580 000 (around R10m) stolen from Phala Phala farm.
On June 1, 2022, Arthur Fraser, the former head of the State Security Agency walked into a police station in Johannesburg and filed a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa.
Fraser accused Ramaphosa of kidnapping, bribery, money laundering, and “concealing a crime” in relation to the alleged theft from his Phala Phala Farm, in a 12-page sworn statement, accompanied by photographs, documents and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the alleged theft taking place.
The case was postponed to 28 May, for the regional court date to be set.
The accused, Imanuwela (39), will remain in custody while Froliana Joseph (30) is out on R5 000 bail, and David Joseph (27) is out on R10 000 bail.
Koena Matlala from Koena Matlala Attorneys said the postponement was standard procedure to get a regional court date.
“Let’s allow the state to do what they want. At the right time, we’ll look into reapplying for bail,” he said.
Police investigations are ongoing as they are waiting for the extradition of two Namibian nationals in connection with the case.
Limpopo NPA spokeswoman Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the matter should be transferred to the Bela Bela Regional Court.
“The police are still looking for the other two linked to the matter,” Malabi-Dzhangi said.
She said the arrested three suspects are facing charges of theft, conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, an additional charge of money laundering for Imanuwela.