Lawyers for the Hawks, Sunday Times newspaper and the prosecution were in negotiations after 7pm on Thursday as to whether to release journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika.
Before court convened, legal representatives were milling around the foyer of the Palace of Justice in Pretoria.
“We are here to get Wa Afrika released as an interim relief,” the newspaper’s legal counsel, Arno Meyer said.
Wa Afrika was arrested on Wednesday on charges of fraud and of defeating the ends of justice.
Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that the state prosecutor had dropped charges due to lack of evidence.
Hawks spokesperson Musa Zondi later said the charges against Wa Afrika had been restored.
“… The prosecutors had earlier expressed that they did not see a case. Following further engagement with ourselves they have now decided to re-institute those charges as they are,” he told the South African Press Association.
The decision to proceed with the case was taken on Thursday afternoon. Sunday Times lawyer Eric van den Berg earlier said the prosecutors had decided there was no case against the journalist.
Van den Berg could not immediately be reached for comment.
Reports suggested the journalist’s arrest could be related to his being in possession of a fraudulent resignation letter by Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza.
“I’m not sure if the charges were him being in possession [of the letter] or him being the author,” Van den Berg said earlier.
Wa Afrika was arrested outside the Sunday Times office on Wednesday by members of the Hawks special police unit.
‘Incorrect, misleading’ article
He was the author of a report critical of national police chief General Bheki Cele which was published on Sunday.
At a briefing convened to clarify the “incorrect and worse, misleading” article, Cele told reporters in Pretoria on Tuesday he did not sign a R500-million lease agreement for an 18-storey building in the capital city, but only a “needs assessment”.
If he had signed the lease, to run over 20 years, it would have meant he had not followed correct tender procedures.
Sunday Times editor Ray Hartley said the paper had a copy of the signed lease in its possession.
Wa Afrika was arrested a day after Cele called him a “very shady journalist”, and when asked if he would take action against the reporter, he replied: “Time will tell”. – Sapa