More arrests in the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) hoax e-mail saga are expected, police said on Monday.
Speaking outside the specialised Commercial Crime Court in Pretoria where Muziwendoda Kunene appeared on a charge of fraud relating to the e-mails, Captain Dennis Adriao said more arrests are expected.
Kunene, a software salesman, was arrested on Monday morning after he handed himself over the police.
He was charged with fraud and briefly appeared in court where his bail was set at R20 000 and the case postponed to June 19.
According to the charge sheet, Kunene was employed or contracted by the NIA to intercept e-mails and other electronic communication. NIA paid him R152 000 to do this.
He then handed several documents that he claimed to be intercepted e-mails and electronic communications to NIA.
It was later found that these documents were fabricated and did not originate from the parties purported to have written them.
Although the fraud charge was new, this was not the first time that Kunene had been in court in connection with the hoax e-mails.
He was arrested in December for allegedly distributing hoax e-mails implicating senior African National Congress members in a conspiracy against the party’s deputy president, Jacob Zuma, and secretary general, Kgalema Motlanthe.
He was accused of contravening the Intelligence Services Oversight Act by not providing information about the e-mails to the Inspector General of Intelligence, Zola Ngcakani.
He was subsequently released on R2 000 bail, but disappeared for two weeks in January, after which he handed himself over to the police.
The saga resulted in President Thabo Mbeki’s dismissal of National Intelligence Agency director general Billy Masetlha, who was replaced by Manala Manzini. — Sapa