Kimberley-Assets of the accused in a Northern Cape fraud and corruption case involving the Trifecta Group were provisionally frozen on Monday.

Northern Cape NPA spokesman Mashudu Malabi said the court confirmed a provisional restraint order on Friday was obtained by the Asset Forfeiture Unit against most of the parties involved.

The court would decide later whether the order should be made final against the parties who opposed the order.

The National Prosecuting Authority alleges the Trifecta Group entered into a number of lease agreements with the provincial department of social development in which the rentals, or rental space, were grossly inflated.

As a result, the Trifecta Group received or would receive, at the end of the lease agreements, rentals of R57 million.

The freezing order means payments received by a number of Northern Cape politicians and official of the department of social development from the Trifecta Group would remain frozen pending the outcome of the court proceedings.

The Trifecta Group, the trustees of the Shosholoza Trust, and government official Palesa Lebona opposed the restraint order.

The other accused in the case are the director of Trifecta Alfeus Scholtz and Northern Cape ANC heavyweights John Block, Alvin Botes and Yolanda Botha.

Social development officials Rodney Saal and Cecil Ryland were also arrested in connection with the case.

Malabi said the order was made final against the individuals on Friday.

He said the court found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that payments to the entities and individuals were corrupt payments or kickbacks and that inflated rentals were paid as a result of corruption.

Earlier, the case against the group was postponed to August this year.

-Sapa