Court temporarily halts Mzwinila assets seizure
Kabo Ramasia | Monday January 19, 2026 09:50
This comes in the wake of a case in which Mzwinila is challenging the decision by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to approach the court seeking to interdict his assets. Initially slated for arguments this past Tuesday, the matter was deferred to January 22, with the substantive Justice, Oteng Motlhala, stating that he is not prepared to hear the matter then, citing a busy schedule. He also said that he needed more time to familiarise himself with the heads of arguments filed on record. According to Mzwinila lawyers, Samuel Plaatjie of Plaatjie Taupedi law Firm, The Receiver continues to evict employees from the embattled minister’s properties.
On the other hand, Chief Prosecution Counsel at the DPP, Dumisani Marapo, told the court that he was not aware of what the Receiver was up to in the matter. However, he said, the Receiver was entitled to deploy its own security to ensure that nothing happened to the assets while the matter was still being heard in court.
To this end, both lawyers agreed to the matter being heard next week. Delivering the order, Justice Motlhala said, “The matter is adjourned to 22nd January for arguments”. The Judge further ordered that pending the hearing of the matter, in the interim, the Receiver was interdicted from dismissing and evicting tenants and the respondents’ employees from his properties. Formerly under the then Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, according to an online description of its functions published by the government, the Office of the Receiver serves to ‘maintain properties, assets and monies seized or confiscated as proceeds of crime.’ Further, available data state that The Office allows for the implementation of the Proceeds and Instruments of Crime Act of 2014(PICA).
“The Act, in turn, facilitates Botswana's comprehensive response to crimes such as corruption, poaching, money laundering, and terrorism financing. Given its complex mandate, the Office of the Receiver is strengthened by several experts to include lawyers, property or asset managers and valuers, actuaries, insurance experts, accountants, and financial and banking experts, so as to facilitate tracing of property and assets determined to be proceeds of crime,” states the Act. Mzwinila and his wife, Bridget, are involved in serious corruption allegations with the DPP alleging that the former Minister engaged in numerous suspicious transactions wherein he acquired several assets under dubious means and only ‘dealt in cash’ to build an empire.