SIU freezes late actor Presley Chweneyagae’s home linked to NLC grant misuse
The case connects to a larger SIU investigation into NLC corruption, authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020.
South Africa.- The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has frozen a residential property in Hesteapark, Pretoria, linked to the late South African actor Presley Chweneyagae. According to officials, the house was purchased with funds from a National Lotteries Commission (NLC) grant intended for community projects.
The property was bought for R889,000 (€44,450) through Domestic Baboon (Pty) Ltd, a company where Chweneyagae served as the sole director. Investigators allege the money came from a R15m (€750,000) NLC grant awarded to the Southern African Youth Movement (SAYM), which then channelled funds to the Presley Chweneyagae Foundation for an anti-drug musical called Taking Back the Future.
The production was planned to tour three provinces but only ran for five nights at a small venue in the Free State, raising questions about the use of the grant.
The freeze order was issued by the Special Tribunal on December 18 2025. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago explained the action: “The order prohibits any sale, transfer, lease, encumbrance or disposal of the home in Pretoria, Gauteng, pending the finalisation of civil proceedings to be instituted by the SIU within 60 court days.”
The SIU must file details of the proceedings by early March 2026, and if evidence of criminal activity emerges, it could be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority.
The case connects to a larger SIU investigation into NLC corruption, authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020. SAYM, led by Executive Director Alfred Sigudla, received more than R67.5m (€3,375,000) in grants for projects including an old-age home and a drug rehabilitation centre, neither of which is operational.
Sigudla’s own home was frozen earlier in 2025. Chweneyagae’s Tsotsi co-star Terry Pheto faced similar scrutiny when her Bryanston house, bought with a questionable NLC grant, was frozen and sold for R3.9m (€195,000) in 2024.
Other named parties include former NLC Chief Operating Officer Phillemon Letwaba, who resigned in 2022; Ironbridge Travel and Events, directed by Letwaba’s wife Rebotile Malomane; Letwaba’s cousin Karabo Sithole; and Meshack Makhubela, Director of VNMM Consulting Engineers and son-in-law of former NLC chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda
