The South African Reserve Bank has declared more than R4.2 million from the Pro-Afrikaanse Aksiegroep (Praag) forfeited to the state. Author and commentator Dan Roodt, co-founder of the organisation, confirmed the money has left the bank accounts.
This Dan Roodt Praag Reserve Bank action stems from exchange control regulations on foreign currency. A notice in the Government Gazette made the forfeiture official on 20 May 2026. The funds now go into the National Revenue Fund.
Reserve Bank Forfeits Funds From Praag Accounts
The Reserve Bank seized the money held in four Absa accounts. Three rand accounts contained R443 693, R10 574 and R1.74 million, while a dollar account held US$121 303 (about R2 million at current rates). Officials later moved the rand amounts to an escrow account.
The total now exceeds R4.2 million with interest. The forfeiture took effect immediately after the Gazette notice. According to the notice, the Reserve Bank acted under exchange control regulations.
Earlier Freeze Stopped Praag Operations
The Reserve Bank first froze the accounts a few years ago. This forced Praag to shut down its online news service. Negotiations later failed, leading to the full forfeiture order.
Praag, founded in 2000 in Johannesburg, promotes Afrikaner rights and language. Dan Roodt serves as one of its two directors.
Roodt Considers Court Challenge
Dan Roodt told Netwerk24 he is seeking legal advice and has 90 days to apply to set aside the declaration. “If necessary, we will take the Reserve Bank to court,” he said.
Roodt links the Dan Roodt Praag Reserve Bank action to foreign transactions for the group’s websites. He argues that some rules from the 1960s may clash with the Constitution. The exact reasons for the seizure remain unclear to him. The Reserve Bank has not issued any further public comment beyond the Gazette notice.
Personal Impact Hits Roodt Family
Roodt calls the loss a serious financial setback. His wife received a cancer diagnosis last year, and the family now struggles to cover medicine costs because of sharply reduced income.
He added: “They took everything in the bank accounts. I was not previously aware of how big the risk is of keeping funds in a South African bank account and how easily your money can be seized.”
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