Overview
- The trial over the alleged theft of about $580,000 from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm resumed on Wednesday after the defence collected a seized cellphone from Pretoria so an expert can examine its iCloud data.
- Three people stand accused: Imanuwela David and siblings Froliana and Ndilinasho Joseph, and David has denied that his communications with the others amounted to a conspiracy to steal from the farm.
- The defence told the court the phone’s iCloud is full and that forensic extraction must avoid deleting material the defence intends to use, making digital access a key procedural and evidentiary issue.
- The prosecution has presented extensive communications as evidence, with court testimony referencing dozens of calls and messages including 49 exchanges between David and Ndilinasho and more than 80 interactions among the three accused.
- The proceedings are high profile because they involve the president’s property and have political fallout, with the state preparing to cross-examine David and the Joseph siblings expected to give testimony next, and the wider Phala Phala matter already triggering parliamentary and constitutional scrutiny.