Phala Phala: People accused of stealing President Ramaphosa’s R10 million require Oshiwambo language interpreter
Three people who are facing charges in connection to the grand theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo, in 2020, on Tuesday appeared before the Modimolle Regional Court.
The case against the trio was postponed to October 7, according to Limpopo spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.
“The three accused - Imanuwela David, Floriana Joseph and Ndilinasho Joseph in the matter of housebreaking of Phala Phala game farm postponed to October 7, 2024 in Modimolle Regional Court for disclosure of the docket and an Oshiwambo interpreter,” she said.
The Oshiwambo language is spoken by the Ovambo people in southern Angola and greater parts of Namibia. The Ovambo people also called Aawambo, Ambo, Ovawambo and are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, primarily modern Namibia.
Last year, IOL reported that the accused people are from Namibia but are South African citizens.
“They come from Namibia, but they are citizens of South Africa. They are legally here in South Africa. They have the citizenship of South Africa,” the NPA previously stated.
The NPA said the trio faces multiple charges.
“The accused are facing the following charges: conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal, housebreaking with intent to steal, housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, and the money laundering charge applies to Imanuwela David only.”
David, the man accused of being the mastermind behind the February 2020 theft was previously denied bail and has been in custody since his arrest last year.
David is charged alongside siblings Froliana Joseph, who was a domestic worker at the Phala Phala farm and her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph.
Ramaphosa’s former housekeeper, Froliana, and her brother, Ndilinasho, who are accused number two and three, were granted R5,000 and R10,000 bail, respectively, in November last year.
The State had not opposed bail when the siblings were released. Their stringent bail conditions include that they hand over their passports, and they may not leave the Bela-Bela area without informing the police.
In December, Bela Bela Magistrate Predeshni Ponnan ruled that David had not discharged the burden of proof placed on him that he is a good candidate for bail.
IOL