Phala Phala general manager testifies he was unaware money was hidden in compound

The general manager at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm has testified that he didn’t know there was money hidden in the compound.

He's testifying at the Modimolle Regional Court in Limpopo on Friday, where a trial about the theft of the money is being heard.

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Imanuwela David and siblings Froliana and Ndilinasho Joseph are charged with breaking into the farm and stealing $580,000 in cash in 2020.

The money belonged to a Sudanese businessman who intended to purchase buffalo.

Earlier during the trial, another manager who was responsible for looking after the lodge at the farm told the court that he's the one who stashed the money inside a couch and only told Ramaphosa about where it was hidden.

Testifying on Friday, the farm general manager said he wasn’t aware of the cash and that he didn't knowthat his counterpart at the lodge knew about it...

Prosecutor Nkhetheni Munyai asked: "Mr [lodge manager] told this court there were foreign currency in the form of US dollars placed in one of the rooms in the main house, which he did not inform you about. Did you know about anything about that?"

"Nothing at all," the general manager responded.

Munyai asked: "And even after the break-in, you were not told about the foreign currency?"

"Nothing," the general manager responded.