/ 12 December 2007

Kunene appears in Free State court, case postponed

The IT technician caught up in the hoax-email saga, Muziwendoda Kunene, appeared in the Kestell Magistrate’s Court in the eastern Free State on Wednesday.

A court official said the matter was postponed to January 23 2008 for further investigation.

”He is facing a provisional charge of murder and will stay in custody at the Kroonstad Prison.”

The matter relates to the October murder of Ballito estate agent Lynne Hume.

Earlier this week, Kunene also appeared in the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court during which a bail hearing was abandoned.

That case, on an attempted murder charge, was postponed to January 15.

The case arose when Kunene was arrested in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal, after his 24-year-old son laid a charge of attempted murder against him in November.

He allegedly shot his son in the ear.

In a separate matter, Kunene also stands accused under the Intelligence Services Oversight Act of withholding information from the inspector general of intelligence.

He also faces a separate charge of fraud relating to the same case.

The hoax saga involves fake emails between African National Congress (ANC) leaders, discrediting ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma.

The emails allegedly implicated senior ANC members in a conspiracy against Zuma and ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe. — Sapa