Businessman Lawrence Chamurwa Mudzinganyama has been granted R15 000 bail in a case involving 10 charges, with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) saying further charges have not been ruled out as investigations continue.
Mudzinganyama appeared in the magistrates’ court on Thursday, where bail was granted after the court considered the circumstances of the case.
He faces 10 charges, including fraud, intimidation, crimen injuria and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He will remain on bail while the matter proceeds through the courts.
NPA spokesperson Kaiser Kganyakgo said the state was proceeding with the 10 charges currently before the court, but that investigators could add further charges if new information emerged.
“Other charges can be added depending on what the circumstances are, but for now, we are working with the 10 charges that are there,” Kganyakgo said.
Mudzinganyama has been involved in the infrastructure sector through Moriel Infrastructure Group, where he served as executive chairman and a director. He came under scrutiny last month after a video circulated showing him involved in a confrontation with women at a Sandton restaurant.
Moriel has since distanced itself from him, while questions have also been raised about the company’s government contracts and its standing in the construction industry.
The NPA said there were already witnesses in the matter and that Mudzinganyama had been warned not to interfere with them as part of his bail conditions.
He is also required to appear at the magistrates’ court once a week while he remains on bail. “There are witnesses who are there. Therefore, he has been asked not to intimidate those witnesses,” Kganyakgo said.
Kganyakgo said investigations were continuing and the prosecution believed it had a case that could be presented before the court.
He said the state would not have brought the matter before the magistrate if it did not believe there was a sufficient basis to prosecute, but that the final decision would rest with the court after considering the evidence.
“We need a strong case here,” Kganyakgo said. “Obviously, as the prosecution, we would not have brought the matter to court if we did not believe we had a strong case.”
The bail amount was also discussed by the NPA. Kganyakgo said the state had initially considered R5 000 sufficient, but the court ultimately set the amount at R15 000 after considering the circumstances of the case and its gender-based violence (GBV) context.
“We thought R5 000 on bail was enough and then the court felt, because of the matter being a GBV matter, and at a time where everybody is trying to deal with this issue, then the court felt that the bail would be up to R15 000,” he said.
Kganyakgo said the NPA supported the court’s decision, describing the matter as sensitive. “We agree with what the court has done because we believe that this is a sensitive matter.”
The matter has been postponed to 15 October, when it will continue in the magistrates’ court. Until then, Mudzinganyama must comply with his bail conditions, including appearing once a week and not interfering with witnesses.