Former Mangaung mayor Pappie Mokoena, his wife and other former senior municipal officials appeared on fraud charges in the Bloemfontein High Court on Tuesday.
The matter concerns a Scorpions investigation at the Mangaung local municipality apparently covering the period 2000 to 2005 and relating to alleged fraud amounting to R170-million.
The Scorpions arrested Mokoena, his wife, Granny, and the other former city officials. They all appeared in the high court on Tuesday with another five people also accused on charges related to the Scorpions investigation.
The case against the five was joined with that against Mokoena and the others.
Acting Judge Paul Zietsman provisionally postponed the matter to August 1 to give the state time to supply the defence with documents. The matter has been set down for trial from October 22 to December 14.
Fifteen accused are all out on warning or bail. The other accused are city manager Mojalefa Matlole; chief operating officer Mzwandile Silwana; speaker Zongezile Zumane; and Mokoena’s political adviser Jacob Thithi, all arrested in July 2005.
Later, four more arrests were made, those of Mokoena and Zumane’s assistants Laetitia Hoffman and Evadia Kok, and the twin brothers and businessmen Kegomoditswe and Keabeloe Lekone.
Johan Roothman, for the state, told the court that the outstanding documents, which include a final indictment and a KPMG report, would be available for the defence teams on June 31.
Zietsman made the undertaking of the state an order of court, ruling that the charges be withdrawn if the deadline was missed. — Sapa