The Limpopo High Court (Polokwane) has ordered liquidators in the case of lawyer Tumi Mokwena to unfreeze his law firm's trust account with immediate effect.

The liquidators acted following an order issued by Judge Frans Kgomo for the final liquidation of Tumi Mokwena Incorporated (TMI) on 12 December 2019.

The order was followed up by the striking off the roll of Mokwena's urgent application to suspend the liquidation order by Judge Violet Semenya on 24 January.

A News24 report notes Mokwena returned to the High Court on an urgent basis last week, seeking an order that his law firm's trust account be unfrozen. This was after he realised on 3 February that the liquidators had moved to freeze the account.

He argued he was currently unable to service existing clients in his personal capacity as an attorney without the operation of the trust account.

After lengthy legal arguments that ran late into the night, Judge Madala Phatudi ordered in the interim the trust account should be unfrozen with immediate effect.

He also ordered that the operation of the order for the final winding up of TMI issued by Kgomo be stayed pending an application by Mokwena for its rescission.

‘If there is an error, the parties can show cause on the return date why this interim order cannot be upheld,’ Phatudi said.

The report notes the return date has been set for 22 April.

Full News24 report