The IPID report, completed years ago but only recently declassified, focuses on the conduct of police officers in the aftermath of the theft of approximately $580,000 (around R9 million) in foreign currency from the president’s Limpopo farm in February 2020. It finds that the officers failed to properly report the crime, conducted an unauthorised investigation using state resources, falsified travel documents, misused official vehicles and personnel, and engaged in activities that included pursuing suspects across South Africa and into Namibia.
ActionSA Parliamentary Leader Athol Trollip welcomed the report’s release, noting that his party played a pivotal role in pushing for access to the document through repeated Promotion of Access to Information Act applications over the course of a year, despite facing delays and obstacles.
“The pigeons have come home to roost for President Cyril Ramaphosa,” Trollip said in a television interview. He highlighted a prior finding by a panel which identified a prima facie case that the president may have committed a serious violation of Section 96(2)(a) of the Constitution, a serious violation of Section 34 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA), and serious misconduct inconsistent with his office.
Trollip pointed out that Major-General Wally Rhoode continues to serve in the VIP protection of the president despite the allegations, describing the behaviour of Rhoode and others involved as “completely unpalatable” for such a service. He added that no action had been taken against Rhoode, Rekhoto and Chauke, or related officials for nearly three years.
The ActionSA leader stated that the IPID report would now be considered alongside an impending decision from the Constitutional Court, where the Chief Justice has indicated a final judgment on the related Phala Phala matter is expected within a month.
“We’ve written to the new chairperson of the oversight committee of the presidency to have this matter tabled at the very first meeting,” Trollip said. “We’ve also written to the Minister of Police to find out why these officers were allowed to do what they did without sanction for the past three years.”
While the IPID report primarily addresses the conduct of police officers rather than directly implicating the president in its recommendations, Trollip emphasised that Ramaphosa still needs to account for the undeclared foreign currency found hidden in a couch on his farm and explain why no steps were taken against the officers who allegedly launched a “wild goose chase” under his name.
He described the current political climate in South Africa as a “new era” with a strong public appetite for accountability, citing examples such as the Zondo Commission and parliamentary processes.
The release of the long-awaited IPID report has renewed scrutiny on the Phala Phala matter, with questions lingering about the initial failure to open a formal case docket at a police station and the use of state resources for what appeared to be a private recovery effort. Disciplinary proceedings against Major-General Wally Rhoode and Constable Hlulani Rekhoto are now expected to follow the IPID recommendations.