A formal investigation by South Africa’s police watchdog has concluded that senior officers within the presidential protection unit engaged in systemic misconduct during their handling of a 2020 theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s private estate. The Ipid report exposes misconduct in Phala Phala security detail, detailing a pattern of unauthorized investigations and the misuse of state resources to recover private funds.
The findings, contained in a “negative recommendation report” compiled under Section 30 of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) Act, focus on the actions of Maj-Gen Wally Rhoode, the head of the presidential protection unit, and Constable HH Rekhoto. Rather than addressing the criminal theft itself, the probe scrutinized how the South African Police Service (SAPS) officers managed the aftermath of the incident.
According to the report, the officers failed to follow basic law enforcement protocols, opting instead to conduct an informal, off-the-books operation. This approach not only bypassed official police channels but also involved the falsification of government records to fund travel and surveillance activities linked to the President’s private financial interests.
Procedural Failures and Unauthorized Investigations
Central to the watchdog’s findings is the assertion that Maj-Gen Wally Rhoode failed to register a formal case of housebreaking and theft after being notified of the burglary by President Ramaphosa. Under the SAPS Act, officers are legally obligated to report prescribed offenses to their commanding officers and the national police commissioner; the report concludes Rhoode ignored these mandates.
In place of a legal docket, the presidential protection unit launched what Ipid described as an unauthorized investigation. This shadow operation included the apprehension and interrogation of suspects, including members of the Joseph family in Bela-Bela. While a separate kidnapping case related to these events was eventually withdrawn, Ipid noted that witnesses appeared apprehensive and denied ever interacting with investigators during the official probe.
Constable HH Rekhoto was also implicated for participating in surveillance and investigative activities that fell outside his mandate. The report found that Rekhoto provided inconsistent accounts regarding his deployment to Cape Town and failed to advise that the matter be handled through standard SAPS channels.
Misuse of State Funds and Deception
The investigation revealed a sophisticated effort to disguise the use of state resources for a private matter. Ipid found that police personnel, vehicles, and travel budgets were deployed under false pretenses to track suspects, effectively using taxpayer funds to pursue the recovery of the President’s personal assets.
Travel records indicated that trips to Cape Town and Namibia were logged as “official duties” to avoid scrutiny. In several instances, the report notes that the President’s name was invoked to bypass standard administrative checks. This led to what the watchdog termed “fruitless and wasteful expenditure,” including the use of expensive long-distance travel when local resources were readily available.
The report specifically corroborated that Maj-Gen Rhoode traveled to Namibia under the guise of protection duties to engage with Namibian counterparts regarding the theft. Ipid highlighted Rhoode’s lack of cooperation during the investigation, noting his failure to answer questions regarding whether the constitutional rights of suspects were observed during interrogations.
Timeline of the Phala Phala Controversy
| Date | Event | Context |
|---|---|---|
| February 9, 2020 | Burglary occurs | Foreign currency stolen from Ramaphosa’s farm near Bela-Bela. |
| June 2022 | Public disclosure | Former SSA head Arthur Fraser lays criminal charges against the President. |
| 2023 | IPID report completed | Investigation into the security detail’s conduct is finalized. |
| Recent | Report published | ActionSA secures and releases the findings after legal battles. |
The Backdrop: A Dispute Over Millions
The controversy stems from a burglary at the President’s game farm in Limpopo, where a significant amount of foreign currency was taken. The exact sum has remained a point of intense political and legal contention. While initial allegations suggested approximately $4 million (R65.8 million) was stolen, President Ramaphosa has consistently maintained that the amount was roughly $580,000 (R9.5 million), derived from the sale of game.
The matter escalated into a national crisis in 2022 when Arthur Fraser, the former head of the State Security Agency, accused the President of concealing the crime and engaging in bribery and kidnapping to silence suspects. These allegations triggered a series of probes by the Public Protector and a Section 89 parliamentary process, though the latter did not result in impeachment.
Throughout the process, Ramaphosa has denied any criminal wrongdoing, asserting that he reported the theft to the head of his protection unit, believing the matter was being handled appropriately.
Demands for Accountability
The report was brought to light by ActionSA, which published the document following a protracted legal process. The party has argued that the findings expose a profound failure of accountability within the highest levels of state security.
ActionSA has called for urgent parliamentary scrutiny, pointing out that despite the report being completed in 2023, the implicated officers remain in their positions. The party has written to parliamentary committees requesting a formal inquiry into why Ipid’s recommendations for disciplinary action have not yet been implemented.
The recommended disciplinary actions against Rhoode and Rekhoto cover several breaches of SAPS regulations, including:
- Failure to comply with statutory legal obligations;
- Improper professional conduct;
- Financial mismanagement of state resources;
- The deliberate falsification of official records.
Disclaimer: This article discusses ongoing legal and disciplinary matters. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law or through formal disciplinary proceedings.
The next confirmed checkpoint in this matter will be the response from parliamentary committees regarding the request for an inquiry into the failure to act on the Ipid recommendations. Further updates are expected as ActionSA continues to push for the implementation of the report’s disciplinary findings.
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