Court freezes R6.2 million in massive MultiChoice piracy bust

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit(AFU) has secured a High Court order to preserve more than R6.2 million According to NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali, investigators believe Grundlingh had been running an illegal streaming service since at least October 2024. Customers allegedly paid about R160 a month for access to pirated MultiChoice channels using access codes. “It is alleged that he pirated protected MultiChoice content and resold access to customers by providing access codes.

Customers allegedly paid a monthly subscription fee, reportedly around R160, in exchange for access to the illicit streaming service”. “Between January 2025 and April 2026, approximately 104 667 MultiChoice-related transactions were identified involving Grundlingh and his customers”. Tyali said Grundlingh has not been arrested or charged, as the criminal investigation is still under way.

He added that the preservation order was obtained without prior notice to Grundlingh, even though no arrest had been made. “This is permitted under POCA, which allows the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to approach the High Court for the preservation of property suspected to be the proceeds of unlawful activities, even where criminal charges have not yet been instituted”. He said the preservation order and the court application will now be served on Grundlingh.

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If he does not oppose the application, the National Director of Public Prosecutions may apply for a forfeiture order within 90 days of the preservation order being published in the Government Gazette. “If granted, the forfeiture order will result in the preserved funds being paid into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA), which supports law-enforcement initiatives and efforts to combat crime

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