Mosiuoa Lekota's 'Partner' Withdraws R600,000 During His Incapacity, Court Finds

• The Gauteng High Court ruled that Mosiuoa Lekota was of unsound mind during his financial mismanagement
• This comes after his wife, Cynthia Lekota, sought legal representation to manage her husband's affairs
• It was uncovered that R600,000 was withdrawn from Lekota's account, raising serious concerns about his partner's conduct

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

GAUTENG, PRETORIA - The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has found that funds were withdrawn from former Congress of the People (COPE) leader, Mosiuoa Lekota's, bank account by his partner while he was not of sound mind and unable to manage his financial affairs.

Lekota had been of unsound mind

According to News24, the application was brought by his wife, Cynthia Lekota, who sought the appointment of a legal representative to access his medical records, determine his mental capacity, and place his financial affairs under the control of a court-appointed attorney. Judge Anthony Millar ruled that Lekota had been of unsound mind and incapable of managing his affairs from 25 May 2025 until his death on 4 March 2026. The court found that between 5 March 2025 and 2 February 2026, about R600,000 was paid from Lekota’s account to his partner, Luzelle Adams.

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It further found that between 2 April 2024 and 12 February 2026, payments exceeding R1 million were made to Adams. In addition, after Adams was notified of the court application on 11 February, R250,000 was transferred to her attorneys and R150,000 to her property account from Lekota's current account. Millar said Adams's conduct was of grave concern and issued a punitive costs order against her.

He said the concern related particularly to the transfer of funds from Lekota's account while she was negotiating a court order by agreement, and her subsequent refusal to cooperate with the curator.

What did South Africans say?

Social media users shared their opinions regarding the financial mismanagement.

@nordienmn said:

"But he ran for elections a year ago. That means he was already slipping by then? How many other politicians have the same or similar issues?"

@Manikipi said:

"Adv. Luzelle Adams will have her practice number suspended by the LPC while the curator of Lekota's estate goes for the biggest onslaught in her own estate. We are to witness a poor former advocate!"

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@BlueNip said:

"Loads of people do this to save years of estates winding up, and family and spouses are left destitute because the master's office is useless."

@clivesibbs said:

"This is so sad from a member of the bar!"

@Time2Coach said:

"Sadly, this happens in many families. They take advantage of demented members."

Court showdown brews over Lekota estate as wife and alleged lover stake claims

Briefly News also reported that a legal dispute has emerged over the estate of former Congress of the People (COPE) leader Mosiuoa 'Terror' Lekota, just days after his burial.

Lekota's wife, Cynthia Lekota, filed an application to have his affairs placed under curatorship.

Source: Briefly News