Terry Pheto's 'lotto' home set to be auctioned off

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has announced that the home of actress Moitheri 'Terry' Pheto will go under the hammer on Thursday.

The 41-year-old was one of several people who came under investigation last year for alleged grant funding fraud committed against the National Lotteries Commission (NLC). 

The SUI says the upmarket Bryanston house "was built with funds linked to siphoning of the National Lottery Commission (NLC) grant funding".

"The auction follows a preservation order granted by the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria, to the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on 4 November 2022 to freeze Pheto’s Bryanston home," the SIU said. 

Nine luxury properties in Pretoria, Centurion, Hartbeespoort, and Johannesburg were placed under preservation as part of the SIU's investigation. A BMW 420i and two Ocean Basket franchises in the East Rand were also included in the order. 

The assets are worth approximately R25-million.

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According to the SIU, investigations showed that the money used for Terry's three-bedroom house "came from non-profit organisations that received NLC funding meant for the roll-out of a public campaign and culturally sensitive medical intervention projects aimed at achieving traditional circumcision practice". 

Terry released a statement in November 2022 distancing herself from the scheme. 

"I deny any involvement in the alleged scheme that has been reported on. I also had no prior knowledge of an application to obtain a preservation order against me," the 'Tsotsi' star said. 

She indicated that she "will cooperate fully with this investigation in an open and transparent manner".

The SUI says Terry's legal team did not contest the preservation order. 

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Terry has been keeping a low profile on social media since her name was mentioned in the SIU probe. Her last post on social media was the statement she released on the matter. 

The post has since been deleted. 

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Main image credit: Instagram/@terrypheto