Mmegi

Court temporarily halts Mzwinila assets seizure

Mzwinila is challenging the decision by the director of DPP, approaching the court seeking to interdict his assets PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Mzwinila is challenging the decision by the director of DPP, approaching the court seeking to interdict his assets PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

The State, through the Office of the Receiver, has been temporarily halted from seizing assets of former Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Dr. Kefentse Mzwinila.

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.

Editor's Comment
Get back what was stolen, and lock the door

That a single private law firm pocketed P6.5 million for just four cases, out of a total P11.1 million paid for 25 matters, reeks of a system that was not merely disorganised but open to abuse.Bayford has taken a welcome first step by telling the Public Accounts Committee the truth. Now he must act decisively to ensure it never happens again and that any money lost to wrongdoing is recovered.The figures are staggering. Whilst ordinary Batswana...

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