EKURHULENI, Gauteng — A comprehensive Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation has uncovered a massive fraudulent transfer of municipal land in Ekurhuleni, involving 208 properties worth an estimated R58 million illegally shifted to private hands between 2018 and 2022.
The probe was initiated in 2024 after the head of legal and compliance in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality reported audit findings that flagged the properties as being transferred without proper municipal approval. SIU Head Leonard Lekgetho confirmed that the investigation has now concluded and the final report has been formally handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
According to Lekgetho, the conveyancing firm Moki Attorneys emerged as the primary beneficiary of the illegal transfers. The firm, which was not listed on the municipality’s panel of approved attorneys, allegedly utilized forged deeds, fabricated rate clearance certificates, and fabricated powers of attorney to deceive the system and bypass regulatory oversight.
Lekgetho detailed that the conveyancer Kabelo Moki and their spouse, identified as Makhosazana Emelda Moki, personally benefited from the scheme by acquiring 73 of the 208 stands through the Valamelda Trust and Molan Investment.
The financial discrepancies uncovered by the probe are stark. Deeds records indicate each stand was sold for a mere R18,000, though investigators note the actual transaction amounts may have been higher. In contrast, official municipal valuations placed the value of these stands between R80,000 and R3.7 million each. The properties were later resold at an average of R250,000 per stand. While some of the stands have since been developed by the new owners, the municipality currently derives no revenue from them.
The SIU clarified that 21 of the properties mentioned in Proclamation 13 were not transferred by Moki Attorneys. Although no municipal officials have been formally implicated yet, Lekgetho announced that the presidential proclamation authorizing the investigation has been amended. This expansion allows the SIU to follow the financial transactions more deeply and identify all culpable parties.
As part of the immediate fallout, the SIU has referred Moki Attorneys to the Legal Practice Council and forwarded the matter for criminal prosecution. Furthermore, the unit plans to partner with state security agencies to conduct lifestyle audits, recently authorized by the President in Ekurhuleni, to trace the cash flows used to facilitate and benefit from the scheme.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has welcomed the findings and the ongoing criminal investigation. Municipal representatives stated that the land will be transferred back to the city’s ownership. Following the reversion, the municipality will initiate stakeholder engagement processes to determine how to manage and work with the individuals currently occupying the affected properties.
To formalize the recovery, the SIU announced it will file an application with the special tribunal to review and set aside the unlawful transfers entirely, with the ultimate goal of recovering all financial losses incurred by the municipality due to the fraud.
