The Gauteng High Court has granted an order to the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) permission to freeze-assets belonging to kwaito singer and 999 Music record label boss, Arthur Mafokate. This is part of an ongoing investigation into fraud at the National Lotteries Commission.
The SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, says seized assets include three luxury properties, a plot, and a portion of a farm.
Mafokate is not the first celebrity fingered in corruption involving the national lotteries commission, last year assets belonging to actress Terry Pheto were also seized.
SIU probing ongoing fraud, corruption at National Lotteries Commission: Kaizer Kganyago 8 November 2022:
Kganyago says five non-profit organisations received funding of about R56 million for community development projects- with Mafokate being a sole director of one of the companies.
“How the modus operandi was, was very simple- you create an NPO, apply for money, the money is then taken to other bank accounts- and ultimately used to buy these properties that we are now freezing today. They are three houses, and a farm, and a lodge. Therefore the conditions for the freezing is very simple- they must not interact with those properties- these were immovable properties, in terms of selling them, or giving them as donations, or anything because we have now evidence that says that they used the lottery money to buy all of those properties.”
