Fraud trial delay for Amatola Water boss

THE trial of Amatola Water Board chairwoman Nokulunga Mnqeta, who is accused of defrauding her former employer Aspire, was again delayed in the East London Regional Court yesterday.

Senior state prosecuting advocate Diniso Ketani requested presiding magistrate Deon Rossouw to postponed the matter to today due to outstanding documents.

Mnqeta’s trial was set down for Monday to Friday this week but could not proceed for the past two days as a result of the outstanding documents.

The chairwoman appeared in court yesterday alongside three Aspire employees – chief executive Thabo Shenxane, chief financial officer Sandra Weppelman and company secretary Zamela Kiviet.

The four accused were arrested in May last year by members of the Hawks on charges of fraud and corruption before being granted bail of R5 000 each.

Aspire is the economic development agency of Amathole district municipality (ADM).

Mnqeta, a former chief executive of the agency, was arrested for allegedly using R310 000 of public money to settle private legal bills.

Shenxane was arrested for allegedly submitting an altered ADM council resolution which authorised the payment.

Weppelman was arrested for allegedly authorising the payments without following procurement process.

Kiviet was arrested for allegedly benefiting from the funds.

Yesterday the accused’s lawyer, Henry van Breda, said the continued court postponements were at the detriment of his clients’ legal costs, and criticised Ketani for poor preparation.

“I am frustrated over the outstanding documents and charges that have not been clarified.

“There are no annexures and this puts me in a difficult position.

“Each time I get a charge sheet I have to consult and this takes time. I have run out of time,” Van Breda said.

He said there were no guarantees the state would be ready to proceed if the request to postpone the matter for today was granted.

He argued that a new provisional date for a trial date be set to allow the state more time to get its act together.

Rossouw told Van Breda he was not going to grant a lengthy postponement without first ascertaining what the issues were. —