The couple are facing a range of charges, including fraud, theft, and money laundering.
Picture: iStock
The Polokwane High Court in Limpopo has rejected the bail appeal of Tshwane Metro Police Department officer (TMPD) Peter “Gagash” Nonyane and his wife, Charlotte Tibana, leaving both accused in custody.
Peter ‘Gagash’ Nonyane and wife bail appeal rejected
In a judgment handed down on Thursday, 22 October 2026, Judge Karin Leanne Pillay upheld the earlier ruling by the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court.
Pillay found that Nonyane and Tibana, who is an attorney, had not presented compelling reasons to justify their release on bail.
She expressed concern over the possibility of witness interference, pointing to allegations that the couple had contacted relatives linked to one of the estates.
“The appellants argued that the evidence did not establish intimidation, interference, or attempting to destroy evidence.
“They contended that the communications relied upon by the state did not amount to witness tampering, and that several state witnesses conceded they had no value for its reported intimidation.
“It cannot be said that the evidence tended to fall short of intimidation,” the presiding officer said.
‘Misguided belief’
Pillay dismissed the accused’s contention that the state’s case was weak.
The judge referred to an alleged attempt by Nonyane and Tibana to settle the matter by negotiating the repayment of funds allegedly taken from one of the estates.
She noted that the pair appeared to believe that reimbursing the money allegedly used to acquire personal assets for themselves would resolve the matter.
However, Pillay made it clear that repayment alone would not erase the alleged wrongdoing.
“This is the misguided belief of the appellants that discussions could easily just fix the situation.
“That is why the first appellant went to go see, to put things in perspective, to set things straight, to clear up the issues that were raised, without the potential for the matter to go to court or trial, so to speak, in the sense of there would be no need for further investigation.”
Pillay ruled that the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court had appropriately assessed the circumstances surrounding the case, including the strength of the prosecution’s evidence, the progress of the investigation and the potential for the accused to interfere with witnesses.
“The appeal, accordingly, falls to be dismissed.”
Nonyane and Tibana will continue to be held in custody ahead of their next court appearance, scheduled for 6 November 2026.
They are expected to appear alongside their two co-accused, Tibana’s younger sister, Rirhandzu Tibana, and Jabulani Maluleke, a friend of Nonyane.
Millions allegedly taken from deceased estates
The case centres on allegations that substantial amounts of money, at least R11 million, were fraudulently withdrawn from 15 deceased estate accounts administered by Tibana Attorneys.
The accused face 123 charges, including fraud, theft and money laundering.
The state alleges that Tibana, who was appointed to administer the estates as an executor, used various transactions to conceal the alleged proceeds of crime.
These allegedly included registering properties in the name of Rirhandzu and transferring money to the account of Risima Jeje Trading Enterprise, a company linked to Maluleke.
Investigators further allege that millions of rands were unlawfully withdrawn and laundered.
Among the transactions under investigation is the alleged use of R1.65 million to buy a second-hand Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 in Pretoria.
Nonyane is also accused of benefiting from the alleged proceeds through stokvel contributions and the construction of a residential property.
While the couple were denied bail in early September, Rirhandzu and Maluleke were granted bail of R60 000 each on 8 October after the state did not oppose their release.
