Four suspects, including a Pretoria High Court judge and the leader of a well-known South African church, were arrested during a Hawks operation on Tuesday on charges of corruption and money laundering. The suspects, aged between 32 and 64, were taken into custody by the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation team based at the Head Office.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the operation followed serious allegations of corruption linked to attempts to influence a civil matter before the Pretoria High Court. The case involves a prominent church that has been entangled in a lengthy succession dispute.
Mogale said it is alleged that the presiding judge received gratification from the main accused in exchange for a favourable judgment in the succession case. She said the ongoing prosecution led investigation uncovered the involvement of three additional suspects whose roles form part of the alleged corruption and money laundering network. Hawks investigators traced what they described as a money trail worth millions of rand that allegedly moved between the accused.
The suspects appeared before the Pretoria Serious Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday.
The Acting National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant General Acting Siphosihle Nkosi, welcomed the arrests. Nkosi commended the cooperation between the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority.
Nkosi said the arrests show the directorate’s commitment to addressing corruption at all levels and praised the detailed work of the investigative team. He said the operation is an example of institutions working together to protect the rule of law and to hold accountable those who misuse positions of authority.
The arrests come a week after a sworn affidavit was filed by an associate of the murder and fraud accused Michael Sandlana, who is at the centre of a dispute involving the International Pentecost Holiness Church. In the affidavit, the associate described what he said was the financial arrangement between Sandlana and Judge Portia Phahlane. He alleged that Sandlana paid for security services for Judge Phahlane that were valued at more than R3 million over a three-year period.
According to court papers seen by African Times, the payments were allegedly made through Songo Group of Companies Pty Ltd. The documents state that the situation created what was described as an irreconcilable conflict for the attorneys involved in representing both Sandlana and Judge Phahlane in separate matters. The papers argue that the attorneys faced a conflict of interest based on the central involvement of Sandlana in both cases.
The court documents state that legal practitioners are required to maintain independence and avoid circumstances in which the duty to one client creates prejudice toward another. They argue that the dual representation placed the attorneys in a position where the administration of justice could be compromised. They further state that the alleged conflict could not be corrected without the withdrawal from one or both mandates.
The ongoing developments have drawn attention to earlier claims made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who previously raised concerns about alleged corruption involving members of the judiciary.
Investigations into broader allegations of misconduct involving senior officials have been underway since July, when separate allegations involving government officials, police officers, prosecutors, judges and business figures surfaced.
A series of processes, including the Madlanga Inquiry, the Nkabinde Inquiry and a Parliament Ad Hoc Committee, continue to examine the claims. Witness testimony before these bodies has described serious concerns about the integrity of several institutions. The latest arrests add to the growing list of matters under scrutiny as investigations continue in multiple forums.
