The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has intensified its battle against the misappropriation of public funds, securing a celebrity settlement, freezing a multi-million rand divorce payout, and launching expansive new investigations into vaccine research and South African Airways (SAA).
Celebrity repayment in NLC probe
In a significant recovery for the state, media personality Minenhle Dlamini has repaid R50 000 to the SIU. The funds were irregularly received in 2016 from the Mshandukani Foundation NPO, which had been granted R24.8 million by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) for a 2016 Rio Olympic Games Roadshow.
The SIU investigation revealed the funds were not used for their intended purpose and were distributed to various beneficiaries without lawful justification. Dlamini, who cooperated fully with the unit, acknowledged the funds were not lawfully due to her. The recovered money will be returned to the NLC to support “good causes”.
R2.7 million frozen in divorce settlement
The SIU has also successfully obtained a preservation order from the Special Tribunal to freeze R2.7 million belonging to Tintswalo Patience Chauke. The funds originated from the sale of a property in Copperleaf Golf Estate, which Chauke received as part of her 2021 divorce settlement from Alfred Muzwakhe Sigudla.
Sigudla’s organization, the SA Youth Movement NPC, received approximately R23 million from the NLC in 2018 intended for the construction of old-age homes in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. Instead, the SIU alleges Sigudla laundered the money through his companies to purchase luxury properties. The freeze ensures the potentially misappropriated funds are secured while the SIU completes its review to cancel the original grant funding.
New mandates: vaccine research and SAA
President Cyril Ramaphosa has further bolstered the SIU’s powers by signing two new proclamations. The one is the Vaccine Research Probe (Proclamation 304 of 2025). The SIU is now authorized to investigate four major vaccine research and manufacturing contracts involving the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and the CSIR. The probe focuses on whether procurement was fair, competitive, and transparent.
With the Expanded SAA Probe (Proclamation 303 of 2025), the existing investigation into South African Airways has been broadened to include SAA Technical and the procurement of transportation services for cabin crew. Crucially, the investigation period has been extended to cover two decades, ranging from January 2002 to December 2025.
SIU Spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago emphasized that the unit remains dedicated to “striking against corruption” and recovering state losses regardless of the amount or the status of the individuals involved. Any evidence of criminal conduct uncovered in these investigations will be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), he says.
