Former Cabinet Minister Kefentse Mzwinila yesterday received temporary reprieve after the High Court stopped the State from evicting tenants and workers from his properties
GAZETTE REPORTER
The High Court on Tuesday interdicted the State, acting through the Office of the Receiver, from evicting employees and tenants occupying properties owned by former minister Kefentse Mzwinila and his wife, Bridget, pending the determination of an ongoing legal challenge.
Delivering the interim order, High Court Judge Justice Oteng Mothala restrained the Receiver from removing staff and tenants from the Mzwinila’s properties after the couple approached the court on an urgent basis, seeking protection against what they described as unlawful evictions. The matter will be argued on its merits at a later date.
TENANTS, WORKERS REMOVAL
The application arose after it emerged during Tuesday’s proceedings that the Office of the Receiver had already begun taking steps to remove tenants and workers from properties placed under restraint as part of corruption-related investigations. Justice Mothala ruled that the status quo must be maintained until the court has fully ventilated the issues raised by the parties.
Mzwinila, a former cabinet minister, his wife and their associated companies are facing multiple charges, including corruption, money laundering and possession of unexplained wealth. The case forms part of a broader probe by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) into alleged abuse of public office and illicit accumulation of assets.
CORRUPTION
According to court papers filed under the Proceeds and Instruments of Crime Act (PICA), the DCEC alleges that the couple exploited government contracts and complex business structures to acquire high-value properties and channel funds through agricultural ventures. Investigators further allege that some assets were moved and that the couple later relocated to South Africa.
In an affidavit, Chief Anti-Corruption Officer Emalerona Makgasi Mogwera, who is leading the investigation, alleges that while serving as a minister, Mzwinila purchased farms worth millions of pula from Mpho Balopi and others, with payments allegedly made in hard cash.
LIVING BEYOND MEANS
The DCEC also points to expenditures said to demonstrate living beyond known means, including the establishment of a dairy farm, extensive property developments on farms, and housing projects in the Mzwinila’s home village of Mmadinare, allegedly funded in cash.
FREEZING ORDERS
That affidavit formed the basis of an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which successfully secured freezing orders over the Mzwinilas’ properties, bank accounts and company interests nationwide.
Tuesday’s ruling does not overturn those restraint orders but temporarily shields employees and tenants from eviction while the court determines whether the Receiver acted within the law. The matter remains before the court.