Embattled Limpopo lawyer Charlotte Tibana’s misery has deepened, with the State alleging that more than R800.000 was depleted from another deceased estate last July.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has added 21 fresh charges of fraud and money-laundering against Tibana and her husband, Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officer Peter “Gagash” Nonyane, also known as “Lamasweet”, expanding the charge sheet to 35 counts.
Tibana, 33, and Nonyane, 36, momentarily showed up in the Polokwane Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 27 August, for the continuation of their bail application, which the State opposes.
Before proceedings got underway, State prosecutor Martin Molokwane, as he did on Wednesday, asked Magistrate Godfrey Netshiozwi to add fresh charges from 14 to 35 after Melita Kobe, the mother of five and widow of the late Lawrance Kobe, revealed the startling events of the Kobe estate. Netshiozwi granted the application.
According to the State, the Kobe estate contained approximately R800.250, which was allegedly dissipated through a series of transactions while Tibana was in charge of its administration.
The State further alleges that the said estate initially had an account with Absa, but that a new FNB account was opened in the name of the estate and funds were transferred into it.
Lawrance Kobe died on 19 September 2025, leaving his estate to his wife and children. The State alleges that his widow subsequently assigned Tibana as an executor of the estate on 15 January 2026 to assist with its administration.
Molokwane told the court that the FNB account was allegedly opened without Melita’s authorisation. The State alleges that the estate was subsequently depleted, leaving a cash balance of only about R4.000.00 just last month.
Yesterday, the court heard that a fourth victim, Mokgadi Andricka Moetji, widow and sole heir of the late Makolobe Albert Moetji, had approached the State and accused the embattled lawyer of diverting huge sums of R1.3 million through a series of unauthorised transactions in April this year.
The State previously told the court that Tibana, acting in common purpose with her husband, transferred R501.000 from the Moetji deceased estate account into a stokvel account in which Nonyane was a member on 7 April 2026.
The transactions listed by the State are:
7 April 2026: R501.000
7 April 2026: R55.000
8 April 2026: R57.000
9 April 2026: R78.000
9 April 2026: R30.000
9 April 2026: R10000
13 April 2026: R354.000
15 April 2026: R400.000
The allegations form part of a wider case involving five deceased estates. Last week, the NPA told the court that Tibana allegedly embezzled funds amounting to approximately R5.8 million belonging to four deceased estates.
They include R650.000 from the Masha estate, R1.1 million from the Mathabatha estate, R2.75 million from the Maswanganyi estate, and R1.38 million from the Moetji estate.
These allegations stem from the attempted purchase of a luxury Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 in Pretoria by the couple.
The state witness on the hot seat, Colonel Daniel Makuwa, a former senior forensic investigator at Vodacom, previously told the court that Nonyane allegedly presented himself as a prospective purchaser of a Mercedes-Benz and negotiated with a salesperson, resulting in the price being reduced to approximately R1.65 million.
Makuwa further alleged that about R1.75 million was transferred to the Mercedes-Benz dealership, but that the purchase did not proceed after questions were raised about the source of the funds and the necessary authorisation.
He is expected to face cross-examination by defence counsel Hlawulani Maluleke when proceedings resume on Friday morning as the bail application continues.
Former attorney sentenced to 10 years for stealing RAF money
The case against Tibana comes against the backdrop of previous prosecutions involving attorneys accused of misappropriating funds entrusted to them.
In November 2025, former Mpumalanga attorney Jo-Anne Mantladi Mmela, 44, was sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment after being convicted on four counts of theft involving Road Accident Fund (RAF) money.
Mmela was sentenced by the Middelburg Serious Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday, 20 November 2025, following an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Investigation team in Middelburg in Mpumalanga.
The case arose from a complaint involving an RAF claim lodged on behalf of a child. Mmela, who practised under the name Mmela and Associates, had been appointed to assist with the claim.
According to Hawks provincial spokesperson, Warrant Officer Thandi Tshabalala, the RAF paid the claim proceeds into Mmela’s attorney trust account.
Instead of ensuring that the money reached the intended beneficiary, Mmela redirected the funds to another person’s bank account. She later claimed that the money had been paid into the account of the victim’s guardian.
Mmela was arrested on 20 September 2022 and appeared in the Middelburg Magistrates’ Court the following day. She was released on R25,000 bail.
The matter was postponed to 5 December 2022 for further investigation, but Mmela failed to return to court and disappeared.
The Hawks subsequently appealed to the public for assistance in locating her.
The appeal resulted in Mmela being traced and arrested in the Pretoria area. She was later denied bail and remained in custody.
While she was in custody, the investigation expanded after three additional victims came forward. Three further theft charges relating to RAF funds were added, bringing the total number of theft counts to four.
Mmela was ultimately sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment on all four counts.
Tshabalala welcomed the sentence at the time, saying it demonstrated the commitment of law-enforcement agencies to pursuing individuals who abuse funds entrusted to them.
The Hawks also commended the investigation team and prosecution for bringing the matter to finality.
