Alleged mastermind opened hair salon to launder some stolen Phala Phala money

It’s emerged in court that the alleged mastermind of the Phala Phala burglary, Imanuwela David, opened a hair salon to launder some of the money he stole from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm.

This is according to a Hawks financial crimes detective, who testified during the trial on Tuesday at the Modimolle Regional Court in Limpopo.

David is charged alongside siblings Froliana and Ndilinasho Joseph for breaking and entering into the president’s farm and stealing US$580,000 in cash.

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Out of the three accused, David is the only one facing a money laundering charge.

A Hawks financial crimes detective said a few days after the burglary at the Phala Phala farm, David opened a business account with FNB for a hair salon.

The detective’s evidence shows money into the account was withdrawn as quickly as it was deposited.

“Transactional analysis of the account was for the period 28 February 2020 to 1 June 2022. During this period, cash inflow was R780 534,12 and cash outflow R779 685,67.”

The detective said there were similar patterns in another business account opened by David that received over a million rand in deposits from his alleged accomplice, Eric Chikongo.

Chikongo is alleged to have also played a huge role in the burglary; however, he reportedly fled to Namibia before he was arrested.