15 people to testify in Mandela fraud trial
Fifteen state witnesses are lined up to testify against seven of the 11 Buffalo City Metro Mandela funeral scandal accused when their trial finally resumes next year.
Senior state prosecutor advocate Diniso Ketani, during a pre-trial conference before East London regional court magistrate Sadia Jacobs, said a number of witnesses from BCM and the provincial government will testify when trial finally kicks off on May 13.
The seven accused are former BCM mayor Zukiswa Ncitha, her former deputy and now ANC MPL Temba Tinta, former council speaker Luleka Simon-Ndzele, senior ANC councillor Sindiswa Gomba, BCM’s suspended senior administrator Ondela Mahlangu and local businesspeople Viwe Vazi and Dean Fanoe.
Ncitha, who is now an ANC MP, was a notable absentee in court on Thursday when her co-accused were in the dock, with her legal representative telling Jacobs she was away in Free State on parliamentary work.
Through their legal representatives, the group informed Jacobs they will all plead not guilty. They also said they would not call any witnesses in their defence.
Also implicated in the case are ANC regional chair Pumlani Mkolo, business people Nosiphiwo Mati and Zintle Nkuhlu, as well as BCM’s suspended chief financial officer Vincent Pillay.
Mkolo, Nkuhlu and Mati successfully applied in November last year for their case to be separated from the rest.
The three also applied for the charges against them to be withdrawn, with court expected to hear on Friday their presentations as to why they feel their case should be dropped.
All the accused – who are facing fraud, corruption and money laundering charges – were arrested in early 2014 for the December 2013 incident, while Pillay was only arrested earlier this year.
Pillay has also applied for his case to be separated from the rest of his co-accused.
Also implicated in the scandal was East London taxi owner Mzwandile Sokwali and his wife Busisiwe Boti, who were arrested after their company, Victory Ticket 750cc, received R5.9m from BCM to transport mourners to various state services following Mandela’s death in December 2013.
Sokwali later pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering, and his wife entered into a plea bargain with the state.
Boti was later acquitted while Sokwali and their company, Victory Ticket, were found guilty and fined R100,000 with R50,000 of it suspended. Sokwali was sentenced in December 2014 to five years in prison, suspended for five years.
At the time, through his counsel, advocate Terry Price SC, Sokwali told the court he was threatened with harm if he did not transfer the money as instructed by Mkolo to a list of beneficiaries.
Mkolo has denied the allegations.
The group allegedly intended to defraud BCM of R10m and successfully transferred R5.9m under the false pretence that it was meant for memorial service events for Mandela in 2013.
The rest of the amount (R4.1m) was blocked by then municipal manager Andile Fani, who was on leave when the decision was taken.
The allegations led to Ncitha and Tinta’s removal as city bosses while Simon-Ndzele was demoted.
Mkolo, who was the ANC’s secretary in the region, was suspended pending the outcome of the trial...
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