A 67-year-old woman from Kenilworth has been convicted on multiple drug dealing and money laundering charges, bringing a nearly 15-year-long case involving over R12 million worth of drugs to a close, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Grace Kunjana was convicted in the Khayelitsha Regional Court on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, after pleading guilty to two counts of dealing in drugs and 14 counts of money laundering.
The case traces back to 14 March 2011, when police acted on intelligence about large quantities of drugs allegedly being stored at properties in Kenilworth and Wynberg.
According to Smile FM, SAPS conducted warrantless search-and-seizure operations at the properties linked to Kunjana, uncovering just under 25 000 mandrax tablets, with a street value of over R1 million, in concealed potato bags in Kenilworth.
In Wynberg, more than 260 000 Mandrax tablets to the value of over R11 million, as well as 2.1kg of Tik (Crystal Methamphetamine), valued at R262 500, were seized. Just over R1.8 million in cash was found in potato bags, and records were also seized.
Kunjana was subsequently arrested and charged with possession and dealing in drugs, but was later released on R100 000 bail as the case proceeded through the courts, as reported by IOL.
What followed was a lengthy and complex legal process. Kunjana challenged the legality of the search itself, arguing that police had violated her constitutional right to privacy by entering her home without a warrant. The matter eventually reached the Constitutional Court.
As outlined in the Constitutional Court records, the court confirmed that sections of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act allowing warrantless searches – even where there was no urgency – were unconstitutional, as they unjustifiably infringed on the right to privacy and dignity. However, the ruling was applied prospectively, meaning past actions and existing cases were not automatically invalidated.
Despite the legal victory on the constitutional issue, the criminal case against Kunjana continued over the years.
In 2018, she was again implicated in a separate drug-related matter. According to Netwerk24, Kunjana and her daughter appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court after being arrested while offloading an assortment of drugs into a storage facility in Somerset West.
Police seized R9.4 million worth of Tik and Mandrax found in the storage unit, as well as in the suspects’ vehicle, alongside two elephant tusks and a note-counter machine. A subsequent search of a residence in Wetton resulted in the further seizure of drugs worth R180 000, an undisclosed amount of cash and another vehicle.
The State ultimately pursued both the drug-dealing charges and a financial case, arguing that proceeds from illegal activities had been channelled through various assets and transactions – forming the basis of the money laundering counts.
With her conviction now secured, the case closes a chapter that has spanned multiple arrests, a Constitutional Court ruling and more than a decade of legal proceedings.
Kunjana is expected to appear for sentencing on 14 May.
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