Pretoria – The National Prosecuting Authority'’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) have been granted a preservation order to freeze a farm and an agricultural holding in Gauteng worth about R53 million.
The properties are linked to the fraudulent transfer of government-owned land to private entities and individuals.
According to the SIU, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria granted the order on February 22.
The order provides for the Department of Public Works to take full custody and control of the properties while the order is in place.
A similar preservation order was granted on September 9, 2022, with a value of about R144m, taking the total value of frozen assets to approximately R197m.
The order also prohibits the following people and private entities from dealing with the properties: B and B media, Nicolas Martinaas Roets, Christopher Peterson, RCI Development, and Segwapa Inc.
According to the SIU’s spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, the unit’s investigation revealed that private individuals and businesses defrauded the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and the respective reeds Registries in Vryburg, Johannesburg and Pretoria by illegally transferring government-owned property to private individuals and businesses for personal gain.
The fraud is believed to have been committed between 2008 and 2022.
“As part of the investigation, numerous affidavits were obtained by the SIU from internal DRDLR and deeds registry staff members, external witnesses and/or transferring attorneys.
“In line with the SIU Act, the SIU referred evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the National Prosecuting Authority for further action.
“The referral had resulted in a criminal case being registered with the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks),’’ Kganyago said.
IOL