Bridgette Radebe, South Africa's First Black Mining Tycoon, Disputes 10 Billion Money Laundering Claim

Botswanas High Court clears Bridgette Radebe of 10 billion money laundering, orders government apology over false allegations.

Independent probe finds alleged accounts and transactions fabricated court cites lack of evidence and investigative irregularities

Radebe plans legal action against groups and individuals who amplified the false claims despite governments public apology.

South African mining magnate Bridgette Radebe, sister to Africas first Black billionaire Patrice Motsepe, says she will pursue legal action against those who accused her of involvement in a 10 billion money laundering and coup plot, after Botswanas High Court cleared her and ordered the government to retract its claims and issue a public apology.

The ruling ends nearly six years of legal and reputational battles for Radebe, founder of Mmakau Mining and sibling to South Africas First Lady Tshepo Motsepe. One of Africas most prominent female mining entrepreneurs, she maintains her resolve to hold the accusers accountable.

In its June 2025 decision, the court ruled that allegations first set out in a 2019 affidavit by former Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime DCEC investigator Jako Hubona were false and defamatory. The affidavit had alleged that Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe co-signed accounts linked to fictitious companies dubbed Blue Flies and Fire Flies, through which billions were supposedly moved to finance political destabilisation.

An independent probe by UK-based Omnia Strategy and Alaco, codenamed Project Monarch: Flies Lies, later found the accounts and transactions described in the affidavit to be fabricated. The courts findings echoed the reports conclusions, noting a lack of verifiable evidence and significant investigative irregularities.

Following the court order, Botswanas government issued a formal apology to Bridgette Radebe, acknowledging that the allegations had no factual basis. The mining executive says the apology lifts the cloud of suspicion but insists on accountability. She has confirmed plans to sue groups and individuals she believes amplified the claims, including South African civil rights organisation AfriForum.