Well-known Buffalo City ANC activist and socialite Ayanda Matinise was arrested on Thursday for contempt of court.
This was after he failed to make a court appearance in a fraud case where he is accused of forging the signature of Bhisho legislature deputy speaker Bulelwa Tunyiswa. Matinise allegedly used the forged signature to grant himself authority to hire a vehicle using the legislature’s funds.
Police pounced on the unsuspecting Matinise and arrested him while he was visiting BCM’s Trust Centre building in East London on Thursday afternoon.
Police issued a warrant of arrest for him in May after he failed to appear in court.
Matinise, who has close links to the party’s BCM region and provincial leaders, appeared in the King Williams Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday. His bail application was shelved until this week.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Sigobe confirmed the arrest, saying Matinise had spent the weekend at the Bhisho police station.
“He will appear in court soon to answer to charges of contempt of court before he faces the fraud charges he has been running away from for quite some time,” Sigobe said.
Contacted for comment, Tunyiswa yesterday welcomed Matinise’s arrest, saying she was “worried” that her signature had been forged.
She became aware of the fraud when a vehicle hire agent visited her office, demanding R24000 for a Nissan Almera that had been hired to Matinise for seven days last year.
Tunyiswa said she had no idea how her name and signature ended up on a letter allegedly used by Matinise to convince the service provider that the Bhisho legislature was responsible for the payment of such vehicle.
Matinise allegedly used the legislature letterhead and copied a document with Tunyiswa’s name and signature to mislead the service provider into allowing him to hire the car he took for seven days.
Tunyiswa was then advised by the legislature to open a fraud case with police, while Matinise was banned from ever entering the legislature precinct again.
A picture bearing his face and warning anyone to report to security once they have spotted him in the precinct was placed in all legislature entrances earlier this year.
“I knew him as one of those youngsters who love the ANC. He had even visited my house on numerous occasions, but I never thought he was capable of such a crime, using my name.
“I am glad he’d been arrested and that he will face the music for his actions,” Tunyiswa said.
It is understood that he was arrested after the institution traced the fax number that sent the letter to a money loan shop in King William’s Town.
Numerous attempts to get hold of Matinise yesterday proved fruitless. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Play time is over for BCM socialite
This was after he failed to make a court appearance in a fraud case where he is accused of forging the signature of Bhisho legislature deputy speaker Bulelwa Tunyiswa. Matinise allegedly used the forged signature to grant himself authority to hire a vehicle using the legislature’s funds.
Police pounced on the unsuspecting Matinise and arrested him while he was visiting BCM’s Trust Centre building in East London on Thursday afternoon.
Police issued a warrant of arrest for him in May after he failed to appear in court.
Matinise, who has close links to the party’s BCM region and provincial leaders, appeared in the King Williams Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday. His bail application was shelved until this week.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Sigobe confirmed the arrest, saying Matinise had spent the weekend at the Bhisho police station.
“He will appear in court soon to answer to charges of contempt of court before he faces the fraud charges he has been running away from for quite some time,” Sigobe said.
Contacted for comment, Tunyiswa yesterday welcomed Matinise’s arrest, saying she was “worried” that her signature had been forged.
She became aware of the fraud when a vehicle hire agent visited her office, demanding R24000 for a Nissan Almera that had been hired to Matinise for seven days last year.
Tunyiswa said she had no idea how her name and signature ended up on a letter allegedly used by Matinise to convince the service provider that the Bhisho legislature was responsible for the payment of such vehicle.
Matinise allegedly used the legislature letterhead and copied a document with Tunyiswa’s name and signature to mislead the service provider into allowing him to hire the car he took for seven days.
Tunyiswa was then advised by the legislature to open a fraud case with police, while Matinise was banned from ever entering the legislature precinct again.
A picture bearing his face and warning anyone to report to security once they have spotted him in the precinct was placed in all legislature entrances earlier this year.
“I knew him as one of those youngsters who love the ANC. He had even visited my house on numerous occasions, but I never thought he was capable of such a crime, using my name.
“I am glad he’d been arrested and that he will face the music for his actions,” Tunyiswa said.
It is understood that he was arrested after the institution traced the fax number that sent the letter to a money loan shop in King William’s Town.
Numerous attempts to get hold of Matinise yesterday proved fruitless. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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