The Limpopo farm that was bought using money that was fleeced from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) has been preserved, meaning its owner cannot sell or change its ownership.

The farm would later be auctioned to recover the money that was illegally sourced from the commission.

The preservation of the farm comes after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) secured an order from the Special Tribunal to freeze the immovable property of Portion 15 of the Farm Zandrivierspoort in the Limpopo province.

The SIU’s probe into NLC-funded projects uncovered a sophisticated scheme involving the hijacking of legitimate Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs), falsified grant applications, and the diversion of funds to private entities and individuals.

The investigation focused on three NPOs—Matieni Community Centre, Lethabong Old Age Home, and War Against Rape and Abuse (WAR RNA), which together received more than R66 million under false pretenses.

It was found that Matieni Community Centre, a defunct NPO, was fraudulently revived to apply for NLC funding while the original members were not aware of the application. The individuals that listed on the NLC application were not legitimate members, but were used to commit fraud.

Members of Lethabong Old Age Home and WAR RNA similarly had their identities misused, with falsified documents and unauthorised individuals submitting applications.

As a result, Matieni received R23 million from the NLC, of which R5.975 million was later transferred to the Mbidzo Development Programme, which was linked to Collin Tshisimba, who has been fingered in other NLC investigations.

Another R6.2 million was paid to Wa Rothe Construction, and Lethabong received R20 million, with R15 million diverted to Mbidzo’s bank account.

“WAR RNA received R20 million, with R5 million transferred to Mbidzo. Mbidzo, controlled by Mr. Tshisimba, channelled funds to attorneys for the purchase of the Louis Trichardt Farm, Limpopo, registered under Ms. Promise Kharivhe, Mr. Tshisimba’s life partner,” the SIU said.

The order of the Special Tribunal is part of implementing SIU investigation outcomes and consequence management to recover financial losses suffered by State institutions because of corruption or negligence.

The order forms part of a broader investigation into corruption involving NLC grants intended for community development projects.