A Gauteng woman whose daughter was injured in a car accident says she has watched in pain as a disbarred lawyer flaunted a glamorous lifestyle online, all while refusing to pay her R1.8m of her child's Road Accident Fund (RAF) monies.
Dineo Mokwena, 44, said every post from Caroline Kotsokwane's TikTok wounds her because she is a lawyer she once trusted to handle her daughter's RAF claim. However, Kotsokwane posts about luxury trips, cars and designer clothes – while she struggles to put food on the table, Mokwena said.
She said one day she was searching for Mokwena on TikTok and landed on her partner's account.
“I saw her video with her partner buying a car and I told her that with that instalment money, she could be settling our debt.
However, Mokwena said she was then blocked.
“Seeing her post [about] her lavish life pains me because we struggle with food and also it makes me struggle to sleep at night. I have even lost weight when I sleep and think about it and when you get to TikTok, you find her eating nice food and wearing nice clothes. What about us?” she asked.
Seeing her post [about] her lavish life pains me because we struggle with food and also it makes me struggle to sleep at night.
— Dineo Mokwena
When Sowetan reached out to Kotsokwane and asked about the R1.8m Mokwena said she owes, she told the publication that she has been paying money directly to the daughter since she turned 18 because she is not on good terms with her daughter.
However, the Legal Practice Council (LPC) told Sowetan that they have barred Kotsokwane from practising as a lawyer again because she failed to pay Mokwena and there have been many other complaints against her.
In 2015, Mokwena's then 10-year-old Palesa was on her way home when she was hit by a car.
She suffered head, hand, waist and knee injuries. In 2016, RAF settled for R3.6m and Kotsokwane was supposed to take 25%, explained Mokwena.
She said Kotsokwane suggested giving them the money in instalments until Palesa turns 18. From there, she would give her the outstanding amount in time so she would be able to cover expenses such as education and other needs.
“She didn't have the exact amount; she would sometimes give us R50 and then other times R10,000, and the high amounts would be when we asked for it,” she said.
Mokwena said the last time she got payment from Kotsokwane was in January 2022.
From there, Kotsokwane avoided her calls and she went to report at the LPC. Based on Mokwena's complaint and others, Kotsokwane was suspended from practising pending an investigation.
“She said if I want my money, I should go back to the LPC and cancel my complaint because I am ruining her career."
Following investigations, the LPC struck Kotsokwane off the roll in May 2024. However, she never paid Mokwena the money she said was owed to her.
Mokwena is unemployed after losing her job in the early stages of Palesa's accident, as she had to take days off for either the RAF court case or taking Palesa to the doctor.
“Even now we are swimming in debts because we are living off the grant of two children only, while it is me, my four kids and Palesa's stepfather who normally takes piece jobs,” she said.
In the videos recently posted by Kotsokwane's partner, she can be seen in what appears to be a residential estate and in another video, she is at a car dealership in Centurion purchasing a new car.
LPC spokesperson Kabelo Letebele confirmed to Sowetan that among the cases that resulted in the disbandment of Kotswakane is the case of Mokwena.
“Ms C Kotsokwane was suspended in March 2022 based on the complaint by Ms Mokwena and she was struck from the roll of legal practitioners on May 23 2024,” he said.
Letebele said where a client is a minor or is not able to look after their own funds, the court would direct that a trust be created and a trustee be appointed to safeguard the funds.
“The trustee of the trust will make monthly payments for the maintenance up to the age of 18 and account to the Master of the High Court. If an individual is unable to look after his own funds, the trustee will be appointed indefinitely.”
He said in the case of Kotsokwane, she owed her clients up to R4.4m who had laid complaints against her.
Letebele added that it is important for members of the public to always check that the person they are dealing with is a duly admitted legal practitioner.
Where there will be financial transactions such as RAF, medical negligence matters or property transfer transactions – the legal practitioner must have a valid fidelity fund certificate for that year.
The publication also visited the area where Kotsokwane used to operate in Pretoria West.
A trader nearby told Sowetan that the place was sold to an Ethiopian national sometime last year.
Speaking to Sowetan, Kotsokwane said she has been targeted. However, she did not say who was targeting her and why.
She further said that she won't be able to explain the merits of the cases that got her disbarred, as she would do so on the “correct platform”.
Sowetan
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