Arrest warrant for co-accused as corruption case against Judge Phahlane, IPHC leader postponed

Police monitor International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) members’ protest outside the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 24 July 2023. Picture: Nigel Sibanda / The Citizen The high-profile corruption case involving Gauteng High Court Judge Portia Phahlane and International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) leader Michael “Mike” Sandlana has been postponed to July 2026 for further investigation. Phahlane and Sandlana appeared at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday, 6 March.

The two suspects are facing multiple charges of corruption alongside the judge’s son, Kagiso Phahlane, and Sandlana’s spokesperson, Vusi Ndala. Phahlane is accused of accepting bribes totalling at least R2.4 million in exchange for favourable court judgments in a longstanding dispute over the leadership of the IPHC. During the brief proceedings on Friday, the prosecution, led by Phumla Dwane and Willem van Zyl, requested a postponement to examine new information that had come to light.

A fifth accused, Desmond Mahapi Phuti, was absent from court. Phuti, a former director of a security company associated with the IPHC, presented a sick note reportedly dated 2 March. As a result, the magistrate issued a warrant of arrest, stayed until the next court date “In respect of accused number one, a warrant of arrest is duly authorised, but it is ordered that it is stayed until the 23th of July 2026 and his bail is also provisionally forfeited until that date,” the magistrate said.