Orlando Pirates seeks court order to preserve funds amid R43m investigation

Orlando Pirates has approached the Johannesburg High Court to seek the preservation of R20.2 million held in four Standard Bank accounts. The move follows an internal investigation into approximately R43 million in suspicious transactions that occurred between September 2016 and August 2026.

The investigation was triggered in July when the club noticed discrepancies between cash proceeds and expected sales volumes. Forensic analysis identified 742 individual payments totaling R8.5 million where the listed beneficiaries did not match the account holders. The club alleges that R20.2 million of the total flagged amount was diverted into accounts linked to former finance manager Darryl Joselowsky.

Orlando Pirates issued a statement clarifying that the court application is a precautionary measure to protect club funds and is not a formal finding of wrongdoing. The club noted that the individual involved is cooperating with the investigation and emphasized that day-to-day football operations remain unaffected.