Stolen Phala Phala dollars allegedly funded a half-million rand Mercedes

The suspected mastermind behind the Phala Phala burglary allegedly bought his girlfriend a Mercedes-Benz worth half a million rand with the stolen US dollars from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm. 

On Friday, the ex-girlfriend of accused number one, Imanuwela David, testified virtually at the Modimolle regional court in Limpopo. 

David, along with siblings Froliana and Ndilinasho Joseph, face charges of breaking and entering into the Phala Phala farm and stealing $580 000 in cash. 

The incident took place in February 2020

The ex-girlfriend, who cannot be named, says that in late February 2020, she received a call from a Mercedes salesperson. 

 “They called me to say they are with my partner. I asked the salesperson what that was all about, and he said to me I must just send him my ID, there’s a surprise. A few days later, they called me to come and collect the vehicle. I checked with them if I’m going to pay anything or owe anything, and they told me my partner has paid it in full,” she added.

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