Following its long battle for the release of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) report into the Phala Phala farm robbery, ActionSA now wants Public Protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka to immediately reopen the investigation.

The party wants the scope of inquiry expanded to shift focus from the Presidential Protection Unit (PPU) to the potential culpability of high-ranking Presidency officials.

The IPID report detailed misconduct such as the unlawful use of State resources, falsifying documents, and abuse of the President's name.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said while the initial scandal focused on the conduct of head of PPU Major General Wally Rhoode, the IPID findings have uncovered a new crucial angle involving the Presidential Envoy for Africa, Dr Bejani Chauke.

The IPID’s report indicated that Chauke travelled with PPU members to Namibia in June 2020 using South African Police Service (SAPS) VIP resources, despite not being authorised to do so.

Beaumont pointed out that the trip, officially framed as a national security matter, coincided with the arrest of the primary suspect involved in the Phala Phala farm robbery.

The party highlighted that Chauke's involvement pointed to a “coordinated effort within the Presidency to conceal the crime”, arguing that his presence on an "evidently unlawful cross-border mission" likely required authorisation from President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Beaumont argued that unlike PPU members who have dual reporting lines, officials in the President’s office have clear lines of reporting, directly linking this activity to the highest level of the Presidency.

ActionSA announced a comprehensive plan to ensure accountability, stating that the new evidence pointed to an abuse of State resources to cover up a robbery on the President’s farm.

The party called for an inquiry by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committees on the Presidency and Police to investigate the apparent failure of the Presidency and the SAPS to act on the IPID recommendations, which the party said had been ignored for nearly three years.

Beaumont announced that Parliamentary questions would be submitted to Police Minister Firoz Cachalia and Ramaphosa, demanding answers regarding the authorisation of the Namibia trip.