Court slams Lekota’s partner over R600k withdrawals during ex-Cope leader’s illness
· Citizen
The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has ruled that funds were withdrawn from former Congress of the People (Cope) leader Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota’s bank account while he was incapacitated by illness.
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Lekota died on 4 March 2026 at the age of 77 after stepping back from political life due to declining health.
The matter came before court after his wife, Cynthia Lekota, launched an ex parte application seeking access to his medical records, clarity on his mental capacity, and the appointment of a court-appointed attorney to oversee his financial affairs.
Although still married in community of property since 1975, Lekota and Cynthia had lived apart since 2010.
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They had four children together, including one who died nearly three decades ago.
At the time of his illness, Lekota lived in Midrand, Gauteng, with his partner and former Cope MP, Advocate Luzelle Adams, and their 16-year-old son.
Cynthia, meanwhile, lived in Bloemfontein.
The court heard that Cynthia was aware of Adams’ relationship with her husband, describing the situation by saying the two women “tolerated each other”.
Mosiuoa Lekota’s health battles
Evidence before the court detailed a steady deterioration in Lekota’s health over several years.
From around 2018, he suffered serious medical setbacks, including a stroke and later prostate cancer.
Although he initially appeared to recover, his condition worsened significantly in 2025.
After undergoing knee surgery on 25 April 2025 and being discharged the following day, Lekota’s health rapidly declined.
He became disoriented, suffered another stroke and was admitted to intensive care.
He remained hospitalised until July 2025 before being moved to a step-down facility and later discharged.
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Cynthia told the court she visited Lekota at his Midrand home in August 2025 and found him in a severely weakened condition.
According to her account, he was bedridden, struggled to speak and appeared mentally unclear. He was under constant care from two nurses.
However, during a subsequent visit in January 2026, she observed some improvement. Lekota was able to walk unaided and communicate with her.
During that visit, discussions about their joint finances raised further concerns.
Cynthia told the court that Lekota appeared unaware of key aspects of his financial affairs – including the status of their medical aid, who was paying contributions, the identity of his financial advisor, and access details to his bank accounts.
The management of their trust was also in question.
Medical evidence
Following these concerns, Cynthia arranged for a medical assessment on 27 January 2026.
The neurologist’s report indicated that while Lekota showed some physical stability, his cognitive abilities were significantly impaired.
He struggled with basic neurological assessments, scoring poorly in concentration, memory recall and higher-order functioning.
The report also found he was severely jaundiced, with symptoms pointing to liver failure.
A specialist neurosurgeon’s report dated 23 February 2026 further concluded that Lekota had lacked the capacity to manage his legal and financial affairs since May 2025.
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An investigation into Lekota’s finances uncovered substantial payments made during this period.
After Adams refused to provide access to banking credentials or financial information, it emerged that R600 000 had been paid from Lekota’s account to Adams between 5 March 2025 and 2 February 2026.
In total, payments exceeding R1 million (R1 084 725) were made from Lekota’s account to Adams between 2 April 2024 and 12 February 2026.
In addition, shortly after Adams became aware of the legal application on 11 February 2026, R250 000 was transferred to her attorneys and R150 000 to her property account.
High court judgment
In a judgment delivered on 23 March, Judge Anthony Millar found that Adams had exercised control over Lekota’s joint estate without the knowledge or consent of his wife.
“A person is perhaps most vulnerable when they reach an age where they become dependent upon others for the management of their day-to-day affairs.
“This is particularly so when spouses have spent a lifetime together and both reach this stage of life at the same time,” Millar said.
The court highlighted that Adams, as a legal practitioner, should have been aware that Lekota lacked the capacity to manage his affairs and that she had no legal authority to act on his behalf.
“Adams had the opportunity to take the court into her confidence and to explain the payments to herself over the course of the period from 25 May 2025 up to 12 February 2026, but was advertent in her failure to do so,” the judgment reads.
Millar described her conduct as a “matter of grave concern”, particularly her lack of cooperation with the family during the dispute.
He ordered that the judgment be referred to several professional bodies, including the Legal Practice Council (LPC), the Johannesburg Society of Advocates and the Legal Practitioners’ Fidelity Fund.
The judge also formally declared that Lekota was of “unsound mind and incapable of managing his own affairs”.
Adams was ordered to pay the legal costs.
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