The Economic Freedom Fighters's (EFF's) first order of business when it takes over the country, after the 2024 general elections, is to arrest President Cyril Ramaphosa for the Phala Phala scandal, the party's president, Julius Malema, told supporters.

He made the remarks on Thursday when addressing thousands of EFF supporters outside the East London Magistrate's Court, where he made a brief appearance for the judgment in his failed application to have his 2018 case of illegally discharging a firearm thrown out of court.

Malema said: "If you want Ramaphosa to account for the Phala Phala scandal, vote EFF. Our government is going to arrest him when we take over the government after winning the 2024 elections. We will make him account as soon as we arrive at Union Buildings."

He said he was so confident the EFF would take over the country that he was already busy drafting a list of his Cabinet ministers.

Contacted for comment, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Malema's remarks were not worth a response.

The Phala Phala saga relates to a burglary on Ramaphosa's farm on the night of 9 February 2020, where $580 000 stuffed under a sofa cushion was stolen.

Former director-general at the State Security Agency, Arthur Fraser, opened case of a kidnapping and money laundering against Ramaphosa, the head of the Presidential Protection Services, Major-General Wally Rhoode, and Crime Intelligence members for allegedly concealing the burglary.

News24 previously reported that Ramaphosa claimed the $580 000 in cash was paid by Sudanese businessman Hazim Mustafa to his former farm manager, Sylvester Ndlovu, on Christmas Day in 2019.

The president has maintained the cash was in exchange for a group of buffaloes, even though the buffaloes remained on the farm more than three years later.

Ramaphosa allegedly failed to report the burglary to the police, but chose to report it to Rhoode.

It was further alleged that Ramaphosa used the VIP Presidential Protection team to pursue the people who stole the money, all the way to Namibia.

In June, Public Protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka found Rhoode was not authorised to conduct an investigation into the burglary.

Gcaleka found there was no evidence that Ramaphosa was involved in the day-to-day running of the farm, or that he received any remuneration from the farm.

Earlier this year, Hawks boss General Godfrey Lebeya told the media the Phala Phala criminal investigation was ongoing, and that investigators had already collected 126 statements to build a docket.