A Cape Town magistrate on Thursday authorised a warrant of arrest for Pan Africanist Congress leader Motsoko Pheko.
The move followed a request by Bernhard Kurz, the attorney acting for the liquidators of Star Travel, one of the companies involved in the parliamentary travelgate saga.
The authorisation will, however, be held over until August 10 to allow Kurz and the liquidators to make yet another attempt to secure Pheko’s attendance at the Wynberg Civil Court proceedings.
If Pheko does not attend a hearing set for August 25, Kurz will apply for the warrant to be formally issued — that is, handed over to the police for execution.
Kurz earlier told magistrate Kalai Pillay that a subpoena was served at Pheko’s home in Daveyton, Gauteng, warning him to be at Thursday’s hearing.
Though Kurz’s assistant phoned the PAC leader repeatedly after that in a bid to arrange an air ticket for him to fly down, he [Pheko] kept repeating that he could not hear her.
Kurz also told the magistrate that former PAC leader Stanley Mogoba had not complied with a subpoena, served on him in August, to attend Thursday’s hearing.
In a letter, Mogoba’s attorneys had cited security fears, and said they had been instructed to seek a high court order setting aside the subpoena if necessary.
Kurz said that ”in order to avoid unnecessary side shows”, the liquidators would accept an undertaking from Mogoba’s legal team that he would appear on August 25.
This was on the understanding the appearance would be to testify, not to squabble over legal technicalities. – Sapa