Registrar's Office allegedly issuing fake court orders

It says judges have expressed outrage and the racket has been reported to the police's Commercial Crime Unit, but nothing has been done to stop it. The report says the fraudulent enterprise came to light in a dispute between former Home Choice manager Jakobe Chizaso and his brother-in-law Azwifarwi Mphaphuli - a high-ranking official in Limpopo's provincial government - over their joint ownership of a house at Roodekop, Germiston. The dispute was brought to a head when what turns out to be a fake court order was issued directing that R380 000 should be divided between Chizaso and his brother-in-law in the ratio in which the bond payments were made. The High Court order, according to noseweek, appeared to bear the signature of Registrar Elvis Sathekge. When Sathekge was confronted with the fake order apparently bearing his signature he immediately declared it as a fraudulent document - and maintained that the signature was not his. Sathekge is quoted as saying: 'This court order was done fraudulently. The investigation in this matter is continuing; the sheriff is instructed to withdraw the execution of this order pending the final report on this matter.' The report also highlights another case in which a husband paid between R2 000 and R3 000 to a member of the Registrar's Office staff for a fake divorce order. The attorney who represented the wife told noseweek: 'It was some time ago: an unopposed divorce in South Gauteng High Court. While we were preparing, all of a sudden the divorce order came through.' Full noseweek report (subscription needed)