Phala Phala case recap: What you need to know

EFF members picket outside the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) in Braamfontein, Johannesburg on 8 April 2026. Picture: Gallo Images/Lubabalo Lesolle With the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) set to hand down its long-awaited Phala Phala judgment on Friday, 8 May, the controversy could again place President Cyril Ramaphosa under pressure. The ruling will come more than 500 days after the ConCourt heard arguments in a legal challenge by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) in November 2024.

The parties turned to the apex court after parliament declined to adopt the Section 89 independent panel report, which could have triggered an impeachment inquiry against the president. The panel concluded that there was sufficient basis for Ramaphosa to answer questions about the theft of approximately $580 000 (about R9.6 million) allegedly stolen from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020. However, in December 2022, the National Assembly voted against referring the report for an impeachment process.

The ANC used its majority at the time, with MPs following the party’s instruction to reject the findings. A further attempt in March 2023 to establish an ad hoc parliamentary committee to probe the matter also failed. The scandal only became public in June 2022, when former State Security Agency (SSA) boss Arthur Fraser laid criminal charges against Ramaphosa and the head of the Presidential Protection Service (PPS), Wally Rhoode, with the South African Police Service (Saps), alleging that the pair had concealed the theft of $4 million (around R65.5 million).

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Ramaphosa later confirmed that a burglary took place, but maintained that the cash was payment for the sale of Ankole cattle to Sudanese businessman, Hazim Mustafa, who had not yet collected the livestock. Further allegations by Fraser suggested that Rhoode improperly used state resources to investigate the theft and manage its fallout. Alleged mastermind Imanuwela David, former cleaner at the farm, Froliana Joseph, and her brother Ndilinasho David Joseph arecurrently on trialat the Modimolle Regional Court in connection with the incident.

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