A delayed police investigation, allegations of evidence tampering and a case built largely on cellphone records, unexplained wealth and inferences have left the Modimolle Magistrates' Court with one question: has the State proved beyond reasonable doubt that the three accused conspired to steal more than R9m at the Phala Phala farm?

The two-year delay in reporting the theft of $580,000 from President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala game farm, along with claims that parts of the crime scene were tampered with before police began their investigation, has left the State relying heavily on circumstantial evidence.

That has been evident since the trial began, but it became even clearer on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, as the Modimolle Magistrates' Court heard closing arguments in the case.

The case now comes down to one question: whether that evidence can prove beyond reasonable doubt that the three accused conspired to carry out the February 2020 burglary.

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Imanuwela David, the first accused whose life is said to have changed dramatically after the robbery, is alleged to have masterminded the burglary alongside the second accused, Floriana Joseph, who worked as a cleaner at the farm. The State alleges Joseph saw the money, estimated now to be more than R9-million, hidden inside a couch and alerted her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph, the third accused.

Much of the proceedings on Wednesday were around the defence arguing that the State had failed to establish the facts necessary for the court to infer guilt beyond reasonable doubt. This was while the State maintained...