Former Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs, Rubben Mohlaloga, has officially been ordered to report to the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court to begin serving his 20-year imprisonment sentence for fraud and money laundering involving R6 million from the Agri-Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Fund (AgriBBBEE).
Mohlaloga’s legal journey has been long and winding, but the final word has now been delivered. His appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) was dismissed, leaving him no further legal avenues except an attempted last-ditch plea to the Constitutional Court — a request that failed to secure him more time outside prison walls.
The original sentence was handed down on 14 February 2019, when Mohlaloga was found guilty of one count of fraud and one count of money laundering. He was sentenced to 15 years on each charge, with ten years of the money-laundering sentence running concurrently, resulting in an effective 20-year term.
The R6 Million Scheme
The AgriBBBEE fund, created to support previously disadvantaged farmers, was meant to drive inclusive growth in South Africa’s agricultural sector. The Land Bank administered the fund on behalf of the National Department of Agriculture, managing a R100 million allocation from the National Treasury.
Instead of empowering emerging farmers, Mohlaloga and his co-conspirators diverted R6 million from the fund into the trust account of a law firm in February 2008. Within three months, the money had been completely depleted — with no trace of investment in farming or development projects. Investigators later found that a significant portion of the funds had been disbursed to Mohlaloga himself.
Legal Fallout
The court concluded that Mohlaloga abused his position of power and public trust, turning a programme designed for empowerment into a personal cash pipeline. The Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria convicted him of orchestrating the fraudulent scheme, a verdict that the SCA later upheld.
When the SCA issued its order on 8 August 2025, directing Mohlaloga to begin serving his sentence, the former MP filed an urgent application for bail extension pending a Constitutional Court appeal. That plea was heard in mid-September 2025, and by 13 October 2025, the North Gauteng High Court dismissed it — ordering Mohlaloga to surrender himself to authorities for incarceration.
The Broader Picture
The case underscores the ongoing tension between South Africa’s stated commitment to economic transformation and the repeated scandals that undermine it. Funds meant to empower black farmers often vanish through mismanagement or corruption, eroding public confidence in state-led empowerment programmes.
While the 20-year sentence is significant — both in duration and symbolism — it also serves as a warning shot: public office and empowerment mandates come with accountability. For Mohlaloga, once a rising political figure, the story has come full circle — from Parliament’s agricultural portfolio to the prison cell.
