Asset Forfeiture Unit to preserve state land linked to fraudulent transfer

The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and the Special Investigating Unit were on Wednesday granted a preservation order to freeze an agricultural holding and a farm in Gauteng, valued at about R53m, which are linked to the fraudulent transfer of government land to private entities and individuals.

The NPA's Lumka Mahanjana said the high court in Pretoria granted the order prohibiting individuals and private entities from dealing in any manner with Holding 34 Beverley Agricultural Holdings and Portion 296 of the Farm Zuurfontein 33. 

The individuals are Nicola Martinaas Roets and Christopher Peterson, together with the entities, B and B media, RCI Development and Segwapa Inc. 

“The order follows an investigation by the SIU which revealed that individuals and private entities jointly and severally, and with a common purpose, defrauded the department of rural development & land reform and the respective deeds registries in Vryburg, Johannesburg and Pretoria by fraudulently transferring government property to individuals and private entities for their personal benefit,” Mahanjana said.

Mahanjana said after its investigation the SIU shared the evidence with the AFU, which then approached the high court for an order to preserve government land that was unlawfully transferred.

“The evidence gathered points to acts of fraud and corruption committed between January 2008 and February 2022. As part of the investigation, numerous affidavits were obtained by the SIU from internal departmental and deeds registry staff members, external witnesses and/or transferring attorneys,” Mahanjana said. 

Mahanjana said the SIU referred evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the NPA for further action.

“The referral had resulted in a criminal case being registered with the Hawks. This preservation order is part of the implementation of the national anti-corruption strategy by law enforcement agencies to strengthen its fight against corruption,” she said. 

Mahanjana said a similar preservation order was granted by the high court on September 9, with a value of about R144m, taking the total value of frozen assets to about R197m. 

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