ActionSA's push for transparency over Phala Phala scandal intensifies
ActionSA has lodged a formal appeal against the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s decision to refuse the unsealing of its investigation report into the conduct of members of the Presidential Protection Unit in relation to the Phala Phala matter.
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ActionSA has lodged a formal appeal against the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (Ipid) decision to refuse the unsealing of its investigation report into the conduct of members of the Presidential Protection Unit in relation to the Phala Phala matter.
The party argues that Ipid’s classification of the report as “Top Secret” is unlawful, contending that it contravenes both Cabinet policy and the Constitution, which restrict such a classification to circumstances where disclosure could lead to the outbreak of war or the loss of diplomatic relations.
"These actions are the latest in a line taken to ensure South Africans have access to the information they deserve and to ensure that the President does not operate above the law in a parliament where many former opposition parties have been silenced by blue lights, mansions and other public-funded luxuries," said ActionSA National Chairperson, Michael Beaumont.
He explained that ActionSA submitted a formal Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request in April 2025 to unseal Ipid’s Phala Phala report, which then resulted in delays attributed to IPID's email system being down.
A parliamentary question was submitted to the Minister of Police to determine whether the Ipid system had indeed been down and whether a downed email system had genuinely prevented Ipid from performing any of its constitutionally mandated functions.
According to Beaumont, despite a Public Protector report clearing President Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African Reserve Bank finding no exchange control violations, the public still lacks full disclosure on the Phala Phala scandal.
ActionSA says it will not allow the matter to be quietly set aside, arguing that parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) have prioritised political power over accountability.
The party maintains that the Ipid report into the conduct of the Presidential Protection Unit is critical, as officers allegedly became involved in investigating the robbery at the President’s farm, in violation of SAPS rules and the law.
ActionSA argues that keeping the report sealed amounts to a cover-up and insists that transparency cannot be sacrificed for political compromise.
With the GNU holding a dominant majority in Parliament, the party says its legal challenge is aimed at ensuring South Africans finally get answers on Phala Phala.
IOL