/ 22 October 2010

Majali fraud case postponed

The fraud case against businessman Sandile Majali was postponed in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday.

Magistrate Ashlika Ramlaal opposed a bail application at this stage as the state had provided insufficient information regarding other alleged cases of money laundering and fraud against Majali.

“This information is an important factor of consideration in bail for accused number two [Majali],” Ramlaal said.

Ramlaal gave the state seven days to gather the information. The parties would report back to the same court on October 26 for a formal bail application.

Majali would remain in custody until then at the Brooklyn police station.

He appeared with co-accused Haralambos Sferopoulous, Stephan Khoza, Elvis Bongani Ndala and Linda Welencia Dlamini.

Ramlaal said the postponement was also necessary as the mental state of Sferopoulous, Khoza and Ndala needed to be determined before they could stand as witnesses.

The state alleges all three had been patients at the Sterkfontein mental institution, and that Khoza had escaped before.

Dlamini was released on R10 000 bail and ordered to report to the Kliptown police station twice a week, and to not leave Gauteng.

Majali was arrested by the SAPS Commercial Crimes Unit on Thursday afternoon. The move followed an investigation after the directorship of mining company Kalahari Resources was changed from Brian Amos Mashile and his sister Daphne Mashile-Nkosi to a group of eight individuals including Majali, the unit said in a statement.

Majali and seven others allegedly removed Kalahari Resources’ directors from the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (Cipro) database in August. An urgent interdict was brought before the High Court in Johannesburg last month. The court ruled that Cipro reinstate the siblings as directors of the company. – Sapa