Cape Town businessman named Karl Lars Magnusson Linked To Phala Phala

A Cape Town businessman named Karl Lars Magnusson has been linked to a network that allegedly tracked suspects involved in the theft of $500,000 from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm.

The same businessman is also mentioned in a sworn affidavit accusing him of illegal cellphone tracking and GPS surveillance related to the theft investigation.

Former intelligence boss Arthur Fraser filed a complaint about the Phala Phala burglary. In his affidavit, he named Magnusson as someone who “assisted in the pinging of persons” (tracking their phones) and took part in their subsequent torture.

Fraser claims that Major-General Wally Rhode (head of the president’s protection unit) led a team of police, intelligence figures, businesspeople, and private individuals to track the suspects without opening an official police case.

The suspects were of Namibian origin. The team allegedly chased them across the border into Namibia in June 2020, without coordinating with Namibian authorities – raising legal concerns.

Police watchdog Ipid investigated and found that Rhode ran a parallel, off-the-books investigation. Ipid and the Public Protector recommended disciplinary action, but in 2024, internal police proceedings cleared Rhode and another officer.

In a separate sworn affidavit (March 2023), a forensic practitioner named Calvin Rafadi alleged that Magnusson and related companies were involved in illegal tracking operations – including fitting vehicles with trackers for a loan company called Sun Finance South Africa, and tracing cellphones to locate debtors.

Company records show Magnusson was once a director of a company called Diplomatic Protection Unit, and his LinkedIn says he was board chairperson of the Dr BF Chauke Foundation (linked to Ramaphosa’s political adviser).

Magnusson lives in the same Cape Town neighbourhood as Ramaphosa (Fresnaye).

Magnusson strongly denies any wrongdoing. He says police have never contacted or questioned him about these allegations, and he warned the newspaper against defamatory claims.

Meanwhile, Parliament is moving toward an impeachment inquiry after the Constitutional Court set aside an earlier parliamentary vote that had rejected a report recommending possible impeachment for Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal.