ActionSA has officially approached the Information Regulator in a bid to force the release of crucial Phala Phala evidence that it believes could implicate President Cyril Ramaphosa in perjury.

This escalation follows the rejection of the party’s Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) applications and subsequent appeals by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

In June, ActionSA submitted a PAIA application to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), requesting access to the official affidavit signed by Ramaphosa following the cash theft at his Limpopo game farm and the financial records of Imanuwela David, the alleged mastermind behind the heist.

The legal bid was triggered by National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) court disclosures revealing that David’s financial records showed transactions exceeding R15-million.

This figure vastly contradicts the R8.7-million ($580 000) that Ramaphosa initially declared as stolen.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont stated that the financial trail raises a strong prospect that the actual amount stolen was significantly higher than what was publicly declared.

The SAPS blocked ActionSA’s information request, alleging the party intended to use the documentation to pursue a criminal case and that the requested documents form part of ongoing civil proceedings.

Beaumont firmly rejected these justifications, labelling them “unlawful and factually” incorrect.

He argued that the records are vital public documents directly tied to the public interest. After SAPS dismissed ActionSA’s formal internal appeal, the party took the matter to the Information Regulator.

ActionSA believes the requested documents will expose systemic deception at the highest level of government.

"If these documents prove ... that the President declared a loss of only R8.7-million while the NPA has documents pointing to a far greater amount, it will demonstrate that the President misled the nation, breached his oath of office, defrauded law enforcement agencies, and acted in contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act," Beaumont warned.

The party contends that State institutions have consistently acted as a shield for the President. Beaumont pointed to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate report into the Presidential Protection Unit, which ActionSA successfully forced into the open in April, as proof of State entities prioritising the President over the public interest.

Furthermore, ActionSA expressed deep scepticism over the parliamentary Impeachment Committee tasked with investigating the President's conduct. The committee is currently chaired by the ANC's nominated Government of National Unity (GNU) partner, which the opposition views as a conflict of interest.

Reflecting on its political positioning, ActionSA used the moment to draw a sharp line between itself and other opposition parties that joined the multi-party GNU.

Beaumont emphasised that ActionSA deliberately declined Cabinet seats to avoid being co-opted into silence. He vowed that the party would maintain its aggressive oversight role and use every legal avenue to deliver the hidden documents directly to the Impeachment Committee.