Courts

MBABANE – A house situated on Eswatini Nation Land at Mantsholo, together with other immovable and movable property linked to former STANLIB broker Ntombifuthi Portia Nkambule, is set to be sold by public auction.

This after the High Court granted a forfeiture order in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) of 2018. The order allows the curator to sell the house by public auction.

The order follows proceedings instituted by the director of public prosecutions (DPP) seeking the forfeiture of the property identified as proceeds of unlawful activities connected to the alleged theft of church funds amounting to about E2 million.

The house will be sold by Eswatini Auctioneers (Pty) Ltd. According to court papers, the forfeiture order was granted in respect of an incomplete three-bedroom house situated at Mantsholo, near Zamani Primary School.

The house, which stands on Eswatini Nation Land, consists of three bedrooms, including a main en suite, walk-in closet, kitchen, lounge, double garage, guest toilet, common bathroom, entrance lobby and veranda.

The court order further includes a Range Rover motor vehicle registered SSY 843 GP and a five-piece Oakland corner lounge suite and a nine-piece knight dining room suite.

The order was granted by Judge Bongani Dlamini following an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions, which was supported by affidavits filed in court detailing the alleged flow of funds from church accounts into various transactions and assets.

In the founding affidavit, the prosecution told the court that the application was brought in terms of Section 55 of POCA, seeking a forfeiture order on the basis that the listed property constituted proceeds of unlawful activities.

Court documents indicate that the property was already under a preservation order granted by the High Court on April 12, 2024, pending finalisation of forfeiture proceedings.

The State alleged that the case stems from fraudulent transactions involving the Church of the Holy Ghost account held at Standard Bank Eswatini, where approximately E1 889 303.20 was allegedly stolen through unauthorised access and manipulation of banking signatories.

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The incomplete three-bedroom house which will be sold through public auction. (Courtesy pic)