In a decisive move underscoring its intensified clampdown on corruption within state-owned enterprises, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has obtained a preservation order from the Special Tribunal to freeze assets valued at approximately R8 million linked to an Eskom employee and his spouse. The order targets Seroke Mfalapitsa, an employee at the power utility, and his wife, Ndiyafhi Denge, restraining them from dealing with a portfolio of high-value properties and vehicles registered in their names in Polokwane.
The SIU’s investigation, authorised under Presidential Proclamation R.139 of 2023, focuses on allegations of serious maladministration, improper conduct, and unlawful enrichment related to contracts at Eskom. The unit alleges that Mfalapitsa, leveraging his position within the utility, facilitated or benefited from corrupt activities, with the illicit gains being laundered through the acquisition of fixed and movable assets. The frozen portfolio is reported to include multiple residential properties and luxury vehicles, all suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
“This preservation order is a critical step in our ongoing work to recover assets acquired through the exploitation of public resources,” said SIU Head, Advocate Andy Mothibi. “It prevents the possible dissipation of these assets while we finalise our investigation and prepare for a formal application for a final forfeiture order to the High Court. The message is clear: if you steal from the people of South Africa, we will find you, and we will reclaim what you have taken.”
The case forms part of a broader, relentless SIU probe into graft at Eskom, an entity whose financial health and operational stability are critical to the nation. The unit has been systematically targeting individuals and service providers implicated in schemes ranging from procurement fraud to fuel oil theft and tender manipulation. The swift action to secure the preservation order reflects a strategic shift towards simultaneously pursuing criminal convictions and asset recovery to claw back stolen public funds.
Legal representatives for Mfalapitsa and Denge have not yet publicly commented on the allegations. The couple now faces the prospect of a protracted legal battle, first to contest the preservation order and later to defend against potential civil recovery and criminal charges that may follow the SIU’s full investigation.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) is collaborating closely with the SIU on the matter. Should the SIU succeed in its final forfeiture application, the frozen assets would be sold, and the proceeds returned to the state coffers. This latest action serves as a potent reminder of the growing multi-agency effort to dismantle the networks of corruption that have crippled South Africa’s vital state institutions.
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