ActionSA has launched an internal appeal against the South African Police Service (SAPS) after the law enforcement agency rejected its Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application for material relating to the Phala Phala farm robbery.

The party filed the appeal on Tuesday, warning that it will escalate the matter to the Information Regulator and the High Court if SAPS continues to withhold investigation documents.

ActionSA originally submitted its PAIA request in April, seeking access to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) report on the theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the blocked request targets Ramaphosa's official statement detailing the exact amount of cash stolen from his property and a National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) audit revealing R15-million in financial transactions linked to just one of the three accused suspects following the heist.

ActionSA argued that the NPA’s financial analysis directly contradicts Ramaphosa’s public version of how much money was stolen.

Beaumont stated that under-declaring a serious financial crime violates the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act, while falsifying information to police constitutes fraud and perjury.

Beaumont said SAPS blocked the application by citing legal provisions that exclude documentation meant for ongoing civil or criminal proceedings. He dismissed this reasoning, noting that ActionSA is not seeking the data for litigation.

The political standoff intensified during a recent parliamentary question-and-answer session with the security cluster.

Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale, representing Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, refused to commit to releasing the PAIA documents. Instead, Mathale reportedly re-read a generic response meant for an unrelated question.

ActionSA cited this interaction as proof that the Government of National Unity (GNU) is actively shielding the President.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa approached the Western Cape High Court to review and set aside the 2022 Section 89 Independent Panel report on the Phala Phala scandal, with the legal challenge scheduled to be heard from September.

Ramaphosa revived this legal action after a Landmark Constitutional Court ruling declared that Parliament’s previous 2022 vote to reject the report was unconstitutional and invalid.