Staff Writer
While the rest of the country prepared for the festive season, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was quietly launching a massive legal offensive on December 24, 2025, against former Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Dr. Kefentse Mzwinila and his wife, Bridget.
In an urgent ex parte application, meaning the suspects were not notified beforehand the state has asked the High Court to lock down a sprawling portfolio of assets. The DPP argues these properties are the fruits of “unexplained wealth” and alleged corruption, claiming the couple is frantically trying to move their fortune across the border to South Africa.
At the centre of the state’s explosive allegations is the claim that the Mzwinilas operated a multi-million Pula empire built on hard cash, leaving a scarce paper trail.
According to court filings, a company linked to the couple, Psychologists Botswana, purchased five farms in Ramotlabaki for P1.675 million. The seller allegedly told investigators that this massive sum was paid in “hard cash,” sometimes handed over directly at the Mzwinila residence.
The alleged cash flow didn’t stop at land purchases. The DPP claims that extensive developments, including luxury houses and boreholes, were funded by stacks of notes. One contractor allegedly told the DCEC that he was paid over P150,000 in cash by Mrs. Mzwinila to drill boreholes. Another builder claimed he was paid entirely in cash for labour and materials to construct a “bachelor pad” and a double-story house on the farms.
The affidavit filed by the Chief Anti-Corruption Officer connects the dots between Dr. Mzwinila’s time in Cabinet and the machinery now parked on his farms.
The state alleges that during his tenure as Minister, major water infrastructure tenders were awarded to international giants like Zhentai and Okavango Joint Venture. These companies, in turn, sub-contracted other firms.
The twist? The DPP claims these sub-contractors subsequently purchased heavy machinery such as a Bhero tractor and a dairy plant worth over US$270,000 (approx. P3.6 million) which were then delivered to the Mzwinilas. The state argues this creates a “reasonable suspicion” of corruption and money laundering.
The urgency of the state’s application stems from a belief that the Mzwinilas have fled the jurisdiction.
Investigators claim that when they summoned the couple for questioning in November 2025, they were told the pair could not travel due to “flooding” and bad weather at their Oodi residence. However, the DPP alleges this was a diversion. Instead of being trapped by rain, court papers claim the couple used the time to cross into South Africa, taking their children with them.
Simultaneously, witnesses from logistics companies have sworn affidavits claiming they were hired to transport truckloads of furniture, dairy equipment, and generators from the Mzwinila properties to South Africa. The state argues this is a classic case of “dissipation”—selling off or hiding assets to keep them out of reach of the law.
The DPP is seeking a restraining order under the Proceeds and Instruments of Crime Act (PICA). If granted, this order does not immediately seize ownership but strictly prohibits the couple from selling or moving the assets pending the outcome of the investigation.
The list of assets the state wants to freeze is exhaustive. This includes farms in Ramotlabaki and Oodi, ploughing fields in Kgalapitse, and residential plots in Phakalane, White City, and Mmadinare, accounts over P700,000 in ABSA bank accounts and funds held by Maru-a-Pula School. Further, there is a long list of vehicles including a Nissan Truck, JCB backhoe loaders, forklifts, and multiple tractors. Moreover, the Mzwinilas had stocks in major entities like ABSA, Sechaba, Chobe, and BTCL.
It is important to note that these are currently allegations contained in an application filed by the state.
The Mzwinilas have not yet had their day in court to answer to these claims or explain the source of the funds and assets.
The application seeks a rule nisi-a temporary order calling upon the Mzwinilas to appear on a future date and show cause why a final restraint order should not be granted. Until the court rules on the matter, the assets remain in legal limbo, with the state pushing to place them under the custody of a “Receiver” to prevent them from disappearing across the border.
