Phala Phala trial: States turns against its witness, accuses him of non-cooperation

The State has turned against its own witness in the Phala Phala burglary trial, accusing the man of being uncooperative.

The man, who cannot be named, allegedly transported some of the Phala Phala burglars from Limpopo to Gauteng, a day after the robbery.

Three people are currently on trial at the Modimolle Regional Court in Limpopo for breaking into and stealing $580,000 in cash from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm in February 2020.

The State said the driver’s testimony yesterday (Wednesday) was inconsistent with a police statement he gave earlier.

State prosecutor Nkhetheni Munyai said the driver gave improper testimony of how much money he was paid by the alleged robbers, where exactly he drove them to and his relationship with one of the accused.

“The State invoked the provision of (Section) 189 (of the Criminal Procedure Act) on the basis that, it’s the State’s submission that the witness did not answer properly the questions put to him.”

Speaking through an interpreter, the driver said he was threatened when he made the police statement.

“When the statement was made, I was afraid.”

Despite some pointed questions from the State, the driver did not say whether the investigating officer who took down his statement was one of the people he said threatened him.

The trial will resume on 1 October 2025.

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