‘We spoke daily’: Accused denies 80 calls were linked to Phala Phala plot

Three months before the burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo, there were more than 80 calls and message exchanges between the three accused, the Modimolle Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday, 3 June 2026.

The State argues that the second accused, Floriana Joseph, who was employed as a cleaner at the farm, had seen the money, estimated to be $580,000 (about R8-million), stashed in a couch and alerted her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph, the third accused in the case.

Ndilinasho Joseph allegedly then informed the first accused, Imanuela David, who the State describes as the mastermind behind the burglary.

The trial over the theft began in September 2025 after long delays following the 2020 break-in. The State has completed calling its witnesses and the defence is now presenting its side of the story.

This comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa faces an impeachment committee in Parliament over the Phala Phala matter.

According to the State, the calls and messages were used to plan how the break-in would be carried out.

During cross-examination by advocate Relleng Masipa, who represents the Joseph siblings, David was questioned extensively about the calls and messages exchanged between the accused.

Questions on calls

Referring to the more than 80 calls and messages, Masipa asked: “What were those calls about. Do you remember?”

David replied: “Some of the calls I cannot really remember what … we were talking about, but in some of them, I remember one of my good friends said they were in need of people to attend a course...”

“The suggestion placed before court is that you were communicating in relation to committing that offence? What’s your response to that?” Masipa asked.

“I told the investigating officer that prior to the break-in of Phala Phala, we [had known each other from way back] and we used to communicate on a daily basis. It’s not that our conversation was to talk or plan the break-in at Phala Phala,” David responded.

Asked about the reason he travelled to Limpopo days before the burglary, David told the court that he had been in Bela-Bela to see his mother and attend a car show, which he planned to visit with a friend from Centurion, Gauteng.

When questioned by State prosecutor, advocate Nthetheni Munyai, about his accommodation arrangements, David had said he had intended to make a booking, but was unable to do so because nothing had been available.

He ultimately stayed with the friend who had booked accommodation with an extra bed. He could not remember exactly where the accommodation was, except that it was somewhere in town, David testified.

‘Dramatic’ lifestyle changes

State evidence has shown that David twice travelled to the vicinity of Phala Phala before the burglary was carried out. The State has presented evidence suggesting the lives of the accused changed “dramatically” after the robbery.

During the State’s case, the court heard that David spent more than R5-million on a fleet of luxury vehicles, including one he bought for his “baby mama”.

Evidence presented in court also showed that he spent R250,000 on custom-made dental grills, R70,000 on adding diamonds to his Rolex watch, and R1-million on a property in Rustenburg, North West.

On Wednesday, the defence sought to counter the State’s claims.

David’s lawyer, Koena Matlala, told the court that his client had begun receiving large sums of money long before the break-in at Ramaphosa’s farm.

According to the defence, some of the money came through his uncle’s construction company, where David said he “helped” with business.

R1m invoice queried

In support of this claim, Matlala submitted as evidence an invoice showing that, three months before the burglary, more than R1-million had allegedly been paid into David’s account for an excavation truck, with further payments to be made in instalments.

The invoice, however, raised more questions than answers.

Munyai objected to its admission, arguing that it lacked key details, including a relevant company registration number.

The magistrate also questioned the authenticity of the document and how it had been obtained, saying that what was before the court was merely a copy. Matlala responded that it had been received via email.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the magistrate ruled that the invoice would be “provisionally” admitted as evidence.

The trial continues on Friday, 5 June 2026, with the State expected to point out more inconsistencies in David’s testimony. The defence, meanwhile, is keeping its next move under wraps and may either call the Joseph siblings to testify or call a new witness.

The trial is taking place against the backdrop of a ruling in May in which the Constitutional Court ordered Parliament to establish the Impeachment Committee to probe the findings of a Section 89 panel that declared Ramaphosa had a case to answer over the theft.

Before that ruling, a report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) revealed that the theft had been mishandled by members of the Presidential Protection Service. DM