Judge Phahlane granted R50 000 bail

GAUTENG High Court Judge Portia Dipuo Phahlane, who has been accused of accepting a bribe of millions of rand in connection with a long-running church leadership dispute, was released on R50 000 bail yesterday.

- SIMON MAJADIBODU

Phahlane and three others, one of them being her son, were arrested on Tuesday night by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks).

The arrests form part of a major corruption and money-laundering investigation linked to the succession dispute within the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC).

The group appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court yesterday. The suspects are aged between 32 and 64. They face charges including corruption and money laundering.

Phahlane, was appointed as a judge in 2021. Her arrest relates to allegations that she received payment in exchange for favourable rulings in the IPHC succession battle.

The IPHC, founded by Frederick Modise in the 1960s, became the subject of intense litigation after the death of his son, Glayton Modise, in 2016.