(From left) Imanuwela David (39), Froliana Joseph (30) and Ndilinasho David Joseph (27) appear in court in connection with the theft at President Ramaphosa’s farm, Phala Phala. (Photo: Deaan Vivier / Beeld / Gallo Images) A set of custom-made dental grills worth R253,000 featured prominently in the Modimolle Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 5 June 2026, as alleged Phala Phala robbery mastermind Imanuwela David faced questions about his spending after banking records revealed a sharp increase in his financial activity in 2020.
Court records show David’s account balance rose from just in excess of R100,000 in 2018 to more than R3-million in 2020. The State argues the increase points to a sudden boost in wealth following the 2020 robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm.
The grills are part of a series of luxury purchases, including vehicles and property investments, which the State says point to a “dramatic” lifestyle change in David’s life.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ED_477839.jpg "Imanuwela David and Froliana Joseph at Bela-Bela's Magistrates’ Court on 7 November 2023 in connection with the heist at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm in 2020. (Photo by Gallo Images/Beeld/Deaan Vivier)")
It is understood that by the time of his arrest in 2023, David no longer had the grills. When the investigating officer asked about them, he allegedly said he had sold them.
On Friday, State prosecutor advocate Nkhetheni Munyai questioned David about why he spent thousands on the cosmetic dental procedure in 2021, months after the robbery.
David replied: “Those grills were to align my teeth and keep them in shape.”
The prosecutor responded: “They were not aligned all your life until you took them to a doctor in 2021?”
David said: “As you age, there are things you notice in your body… I started noticing that something isn’t right with my teeth.”
Munyai then asked when he first noticed the problem and David said around 2017.
Munyai pressed on, saying: “Why didn’t you attend to that problem back then when it started and why did you opt for a cosmetic procedure rather than seeing a dentist?”
“There is no specific other than just aligning my teeth,” David responded.
He is appearing in court with siblings Floriana and Ndilinasho Joseph, facing charges linked to the break-in and theft at the farm.
Covid boom
The court also heard evidence from a financial analyst who examined David’s bank records for the two years before the alleged robbery and after.
The records showed total account activity of about R181,000 in 2018 and R126,000 in 2019, before rising sharply to more than R3-million in 2020.
“In 2020, he goes to see a total of more than R3-million. It’s a huge difference in your account. Do you agree that this is a huge difference?” Munyai asked.
“I agree,” David replied.
Munyai questioned how such an increase could occur during the Covid-19 lockdown period, when many businesses were under pressure.
“Correct, but that was dependent on which field you are in,” David said.
He was asked to explain how his business operated during that time. “Import and export business was booming in 2020,” he told the court.
When it was put to him that borders were largely closed, he responded: “I don’t know which borders you’re talking about, but if you were an essential worker you could operate.”
Evidence before the court shows that David also spent R70,000 on diamonds to add to his Rolex watch and R1-million on a property in Rustenburg, among other items.
David’s defence
This week, the defence has argued that David had access to large amounts of money long before the robbery.
His lawyer, Koena Matlala, told the court that some of the money came through his uncle’s construction company, where David said he “helped” with business.
To back up the claim, Matlala submitted an invoice showing that more than R1-million was allegedly paid into David’s account for an excavation truck three months before the robbery.
The trial continues with the State expected to point out more inconsistencies in David’s testimony.
This, of course, comes against the backdrop of a ruling, in May in which the Constitutional Court ordered Parliament to establish an 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 revealed that the investigation into the theft had been mishandled by members of the Presidential Protection Service. DM