SIU recovers stolen land worth R53 million
THE SPECIAL Investigating Unit (SIU) has made another breakthrough after the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, granted them an application to recover R53 million worth of stolen land in Ekurhuleni this week.
Farm 33 Zuurfontein, measuring 8,2842 hectares, was meant for the development of low-income housing and a school in the community, was ordered to be given back to the government.
This is the third time in about a month the SIU had a step in the right direction and recovered money.
This comes after the unit announced late last month, in a separate case, that controversial and former Athletics SA (ASA) acting CEO Terrence Magogodela had paid nearly R400 000 of money he unduly benefited from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) grant funding for a sports facility development in the Northern Cape.
Also in April, the unit released a statement of a breakthrough by obtaining an interdict to stop the sale of a farm in Limpopo believed to be associated with former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba.
The unit has been hot on the heels of the NLC scandal that has rocked the country in recent months.
However, on Monday in a separate investigation, the unit announced that it had recovered R53m worth of land that was sold to property company RIC Development by a syndicate who had sold the land illegally.
In a statement on the same Monday, SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that the court had granted the forfeiture order involving farm 33 Zuurfontein.
He said the farm was valued at R41m with a payment of R12m representing the property known as Holding Beverley Agricultural Holdings.
Kganyago explained: “This property was purchased by RIC Development from the government land theft syndicate … RIC Development bought land from the land thieves and developed it without knowing that it was stolen.”
The order, seen by The Star with case number 2023-014683, orders that Farm 33 Zuurfontein must be transferred to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development as the original title deed owner and RIC Development to pay the same department R12m.
The order, through Justice Vorster AJ reads in part: “Farm Zuurfontein 33, measuring 8,2842 hectares, original deed of transfer T53055/1989, and current deed of transfer T21579/2020, (’Farm 33 Zuurfontein’) to be transferred to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development on being presented with this order by the applicant.
“RIC Development (Pty) Ltd shall on the coming into effect of this order cause the amount R12 000 000 to be paid to the nominated account of the Gauteng Department of infrastructure Development being a Standard Bank Business Current account number.”
Kganyago added that the order follows an SIU investigation which revealed that a syndicate of individuals and private entities defrauded the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) and the respective deeds registries in Vryburg, Johannesburg and Pretoria by fraudulently transferring government property to individuals and private entities for their benefit.
He said that the investigation looked into fraud and corruption committed between January 2008 and February 2022. As part of the investigation, numerous affidavits were obtained by the SIU from internal DRDLR and deeds registry staff members, external witnesses and a transferring attorney.
He said the matter has now been transferred to the Hawks.
The Star