Phala Phala Farm Theft: Diamond Boy and Cleaner Found Guilty of Stealing $580,000

Imanuwela David, the self-proclaimed “diamond boy” at the center of the high-profile Phala Phala burglary, was convicted on Monday of stealing $580,000 in cash that was hidden inside a couch at Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo game farm.

The matter has been postponed to 13 November for sentencing proceedings.

The Modimolle Regional Court Verdict

Appearing in the Modimolle Regional Court alongside former temporary farm cleaner Froliana Joseph and her brother, David Joseph, David was found guilty of housebreaking, theft, and money laundering.

Magistrate Peter Manthata acquitted David Joseph of all charges, while Froliana Joseph was convicted of conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, though she was cleared of the actual theft of the US dollars.

Unfolding of the February 2020 Burglary

The February 2020 burglary at the Phala Phala property near Bela-Bela unfolded a day after a neighbouring farm was broken into on February 8, 2020, where nothing was stolen, according to evidence accepted by the court and reported by News24. The stolen cash represented proceeds from the sale of buffalo to Sudanese businessman Hazim Mustafa, as established by the former farm manager’s testimony that the foreign currency had been stashed in the furniture for safekeeping. Dollars amounting to around R10 million were stolen in total during the break-in at the president’s farm.

Court Rejects Defense over Sudden Wealth

While the trial relied primarily on circumstantial evidence due to an initial police investigation that Magistrate Manthata criticized as poorly conducted, the state built its case around the sudden influx of wealth enjoyed by the accused. Dealership testimony established that David purchased a Volkswagen Golf 7 using US dollars.

The court rejected David’s defense that an acquaintance named Pedro had bought the vehicles, finding no proof of export and concluding that Pedro was likely a fictitious character. Magistrate Manthata noted that David had traveled by public transport from Cape Town to Bela-Bela just before the burglary, only to suddenly finance a lavish lifestyle that included a BMW M5, two Mercedes-Benz G63Ses, a Porsche Carrera, and diamond-studded dental grillz worth R250 000.

David and Joseph Conspired to Steal Dollars

Manthata found that David and Froliana Joseph, who was working as a temporary cleaner on the property at the time, had conspired to break in and steal the dollars.

The court rejected David’s claims that more than R3 million transferred into his bank accounts stemmed from an import-export business operated during the Covid-19 pandemic, pointing to widespread economic disruptions. David had been confronted about the period he acquired the money during the pandemic when economic activities were affected, and while he conceded the money was acquired then, he claimed importing and exporting goods were not affected—a claim the magistrate disagreed with.