The case against the alleged masterminds behind the Phala Phala farm heist seems to be progressing well after bail was granted to two suspects on Friday.
The case is about the undeclared stash of American dollars which were stolen from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s property in Limpopo on February 9 2020. The two siblings who allegedly engineered the theft were granted bail in the Bela Bela magistrate’s court on Friday.
The NPA claims the three suspects, Froliana Joseph and her brother Ndilishano David Joseph, as well as the alleged mastermind Imanuwela David, stole $580,000
(R10.6-million) from Ramaphosa’s game farm. However, new evidence, not yet tested in court, suggests that more money was stolen. This brings into question whether the president’s version about how much was stolen is the honest truth.
The Joseph siblings, Froliana and Ndilishano David, were granted R5,000 and R10,000 bail respectively on Friday, while Imanuwela David was denied bail and was also slapped with additional charges of money laundering.
Former State Security boss Arthur Fraser, who blew the whistle on the Phala Phala farm robbery when he opened a criminal case against Ramaphosa and his head of security, General Wally Rhoode, at the Rosebank Police Station in June last year, stated in his affidavit that it was Floriana who discovered the money stashed at the president’s farm house.
She then, according Fraser, informed her brother Ndilishano about it. Fraser added that it was Ndilishano who allegedly informed the robbers that there was a large amount of money at Phala Phala, estimated at between $4-million and $8-million, that was left unguarded and concealed in furniture.
Josephs are no flight risk
State prosecutor Nkhetheni Munyai said they didn’t oppose the release of the Joseph siblings on bail because they aren’t a flight risk, even though they have a strong Namibian connection, where their parents are originally from.
The case was postponed to December 6 for further investigations and for Imanuwela David to submit his formal bail application, which Munyai said the state is intending to oppose.
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