Pretoria court Archives - MDNtv https://mdntvlive.com/tag/pretoria-court/ MADE BY THE PEOPLE FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:00:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://mdntvlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/mdntv-icon.png Pretoria court Archives - MDNtv https://mdntvlive.com/tag/pretoria-court/ 32 32 Farm Owner and Four Foreign Nationals Charged in Dramatic Illegal Mining Bust Appear in Pretoria Court – One Granted Bail https://mdntvlive.com/farm-owner-and-four-foreign-nationals-charged-in-dramatic-illegal-mining-bust-appear-in-pretoria-court-one-granted-bail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=farm-owner-and-four-foreign-nationals-charged-in-dramatic-illegal-mining-bust-appear-in-pretoria-court-one-granted-bail Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:00:13 +0000 https://mdntvlive.com/?p=82930 Pretoria – Five men accused of running an illegal gold and platinum refinery on a farm outside Hammanskraal made their first court appearance today, with one local farm owner walking free on bail while his four co-accused – all young foreign nationals – chose not to apply for release. Nicholus Donald Dibakwane (47), the owner [...]

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]]> Pretoria – Five men accused of running an illegal gold and platinum refinery on a farm outside Hammanskraal made their first court appearance today, with one local farm owner walking free on bail while his four co-accused – all young foreign nationals – chose not to apply for release.

Nicholus Donald Dibakwane (47), the owner of Plot 57 on Skoolweg in Bultfontein, was granted R25,000 bail by the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court this morning. His four co-accused – Adilso Makhukane (25), Raphael Makhatshwa (19), Alec Maswana (28), and Mebido Beto Makamo (20) – all from Zimbabwe and Mozambique, decided to remain in custody.

The group faces serious charges of possessing unwrought precious metals (gold and platinum) without any legal permission. Dibakwane is also accused of harbouring illegal immigrants, while the four visitors are charged with being in South Africa unlawfully.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the drama unfolded on 26 February 2026 when SAPS K9 Unit officers received a tip-off about an illegal refinery operating on the farm. When police arrived, the suspects fled on foot. Officers quickly caught the four foreign nationals, and later that same day Dibakwane handed himself over to authorities.

In court, the State did not oppose Dibakwane’s release but asked for strict conditions to ensure he doesn’t interfere with the investigation. The magistrate agreed, ordering him to:

  • Stay away from the farm completely
  • Hand over his passport to the investigating officer
  • Not sell or transfer any property (movable or immovable)
  • Notify police if he plans to leave Gauteng Province

The case has been postponed to 20 May 2026 for further investigation.

The NPA says it will continue working closely with law enforcement to crack down on illegal mining and related crimes, sending a clear message that such operations will not be tolerated.

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]]> LEADER OF IPHC NOT READY TO PROCEED WITH BAIL  https://mdntvlive.com/leader-of-iphc-not-ready-to-proceed-with-bail/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=leader-of-iphc-not-ready-to-proceed-with-bail Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:42:59 +0000 https://mdntvlive.com/?p=77295 The case against the leader of the International Pentecost Holiness Church, Bhekumuzi Mike Sandlana (64), was postponed to 06 March 2026 for further investigations because Sandlana was not ready to proceed with his bail application. His three co-accused, a Judge of the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria Judge, Portia Phahlane (57), her [...]

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]]> The case against the leader of the International Pentecost Holiness Church, Bhekumuzi Mike Sandlana (64), was postponed to 06 March 2026 for further investigations because Sandlana was not ready to proceed with his bail application. His three co-accused, a Judge of the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria Judge, Portia Phahlane (57), her son Kagiso Phahlane (32) and Vusi Soli Ndala (49), were previously released on bail with stringent conditions.

 

 

 

All four accused are collectively facing 19 counts of corruption. It is alleged that between 2021 and 2022, Ndala and Sandlana made payments of about R2.4 million on different occasions to different banking accounts, to and for the benefit of Judge Phahlane, for her to preside over Sandlana’s ongoing civil case at the high court and ultimately rule in his favour.

 

 

 

Intensive prosecution-led investigations by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team led to the arrest of the four accused persons on 25 and 26 November 2025. Sandala is remanded in custody.

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