Former spy boss Arthur Fraser says the criminal complaint that thrust President Cyril Ramaphosa into the centre of the Phala Phala scandal was driven by a steady stream of insiders who approached him behind the scenes, urging him to expose what they believed was criminal conduct at the highest level of government.
In an exclusive five-hour interview with former Sunday World freelance journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika for his upcoming podcast Unpopular Opinion, Fraser described for the first time how information about the concealed theft of foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s Limpopo game farm allegedly reached him long before he opened a criminal case in June 2022.
Sunday World obtained exclusive access to portions of the interview.
Fraser was quick to mention that he was no longer a director general at the State Security Agency (SSA), clandestinely referred to as “the farm,” when he got information about the burglary at Phala Phala in February 2020. He left SSA in April 2018.
“I wasn’t at the farm,” Fraser said, adding that using privileged information obtained during the tenure would have been wrong. Instead, Fraser said, individuals with knowledge of the matter gradually approached him because of his intelligence background and standing within security circles. “You see, because of my history, I think people came to me – not one person,” he said.
According to Fraser, those individuals were deeply disturbed by what they allegedly knew about the conduct surrounding the scandal.
“They said, ‘Do you know the president is involved in this thing? And this is bad,’” Fraser recalled.
“That person asked me to actually pull the trigger because we should not have a president who is involved in the type of activities that they were involved in.”
The remarks offer the clearest explanation yet of how Fraser says one of the most damaging scandals of Ramaphosa’s presidency was set in motion.
The controversy exploded publicly in June 2022, after Fraser opened a criminal complaint accusing Ramaphosa of concealing the theft of millions of dollars allegedly hidden inside furniture at the farm and using state resources to pursue suspects.
Ramaphosa has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and said the money came from the legitimate sale of game animals.
But Fraser said the information presented to him pointed to something far more serious than an ordinary robbery.
“I think the [state] resources were used,” Fraser said.
“And it’s telling because it was not open. The people crossed the borders there. So all of these things happened.”
Fraser said he spent months testing the information before acting. “When I got this information, I really collected it over a period of time,” he said.
“And I tested it because I didn’t want to do something that would actually backfire at me.”
He said he also consulted lawyers before proceeding. “I engaged with the legal team to say, look, we’ve got this and I’ve got this, but I’m also being persecuted,” he said.
“I didn’t share everything that I’ve shared today with the team, but I indicated that I’m fed up.”
According to Fraser, counsel advised him that any intervention had to be grounded in criminal law rather than political grievances.
“The counsel’s advice was to make sure that what you do is related to a criminal offence,” he said.
“That’s why we chose Phala Phala.”
Fraser said information continued flowing to him while the controversy unfolded.
“While things were happening, they were feeding [me],” he said.
“They fed and gave me certain stuff later. So it happened over a period of time.”
One of the central unresolved questions in the scandal remains the amount of foreign currency stolen from the farm.
Fraser disputed official accounts suggesting the amount was relatively small.
“Well, apart from the people that told me this, there was the evidence,” he said.
According to Fraser, individuals familiar with the matter told him the stolen cash exceeded $2-million.
“They said nobody could put a finger on it. They knew it was in excess of $2-million.”
He also referred to recordings allegedly involving one of the accused suspects Immanuela David.
“When you listen to when they interviewed David, there’s a recording,” Fraser claimed.
“In that recording, he says, ‘No, we only took $800 000 because the woman told him you can’t take everything. You must leave something so that the president doesn’t see you’ve taken the money.’”
Fraser further alleged that payments made after the theft raised broader questions about financial flows linked to the matter. “Remember, the bribery, when they paid these people, was not in dollars; it was in rands,” he said.
“But the amount that was stolen was in dollars.”
“So it means that there’s more money in rands that was available and that is now being given to people.”
“So there’s more money laundering taking place here. You mustn’t be narrow on this thing.”
He also questioned alleged cross-border movements during Covid-19 restrictions. “You know, in this second investigation, people crossed the border during Covid,” he said.
“A multitude of crimes were committed,” he said.
Fraser further referred to allegations involving assets seized during raids linked to the investigation. “And remember, at one place, they even stole the Rolex watches from them when they were raiding those people,” he alleged.
The interview comes after the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that Parliament acted unlawfully when it blocked the adoption of the Section 89 panel report into Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal, effectively reviving the stalled impeachment process and forcing lawmakers to reconsider the matter.
The scandal erupted in 2022 after Fraser accused Ramaphosa of concealing the theft of millions of dollars allegedly hidden at his Limpopo game farm and using state resources to pursue suspects.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied wrongdoing, insisting the money came from legitimate game sales.
Fraser, meanwhile, remains a controversial figure in post-apartheid intelligence circles due to allegations of abuse within the structures, the Principal Agent Network and his role in granting medical parole to former president Jacob Zuma, a decision later declared unlawful by the courts.
- Former spy chief Arthur Fraser revealed that multiple insiders urged him to expose alleged criminal conduct by President Cyril Ramaphosa related to the Phala Phala scandal, which involved the theft of foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s Limpopo game farm.
- Fraser said he gathered and tested information over months before filing a criminal complaint in June 2022, alleging Ramaphosa concealed the theft of millions of dollars and used state resources improperly.
- Fraser disputed official claims about the amount stolen, suggesting it exceeded $2 million, and highlighted suspected money laundering and border-crossing violations during COVID-19 restrictions.
- The interview followed a Constitutional Court ruling that Parliament unlawfully blocked impeachment proceedings based on a Phala Phala scandal report, effectively reviving the impeachment process for Ramaphosa.
- Fraser remains a contentious figure due to past controversies, including alleged intelligence abuses and involvement in granting unlawful medical parole to former president Jacob Zuma.
