IPID finds case against Ramaphosa’s security chief over unauthorised Phala Phala mission

Six years after foreign currency was stolen from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm, the President maintains that the public should allow the relevant authorities to conclude their investigations.

A declassified report from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has found that Ramaphosa’s senior personal protector, Major General Wally Rhoode, has a case to answer regarding the 2020 theft of $580,000 at the Phala Phala farm.

READ: Ramaphosa deflects as declassified IPID report details Phala Phala cover-up allegations

The report, made public today, reveals that Rhoode led an unauthorised mission to recover the stolen funds using police resources. Specifically, the watchdog found that Rhoode—who heads the Presidential Protection Unit—failed to report the theft to his superior, the National Police Commissioner at the time.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of his visit to the Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga on Friday, Ramaphosa declined to address specific details of the report. He instead emphasised that due process must be respected.

"Processes must play themselves out. All these matters are being handled by the right institutions, and we must allow those institutions to handle those matters."

While the IPID report focuses heavily on the conduct of SAPS officers rather than the President himself, the incident remains a point of significant public interest.

The IPID report follows several other high-profile probes into the Phala Phala matter. Three years ago, the Public Protector exonerated Ramaphosa, citing insufficient evidence that he had violated the Executive Ethics Code.

In a similar vein, the South African Reserve Bank concluded its own probe by stating the President did not break any law regarding the non-declaration of foreign currency.

Despite these previous clearances, the declassified IPID report shifts the spotlight back onto the Presidential Protection Unit and the legality of the initial recovery operations.