ANC bigwig could face life behind bars

High court to hear Ntutu, 3 others’ R10m fraud charges

AMATHOLE ANC regional secretary Teris Ntutu could be sent to prison for life should he be convicted on charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering.

The Butterworth Magistrate’s Court heard yesterday that the director of public prosecutions (DPP) in Mthatha has decided that Ntutu and three others be tried in the Mthatha High Court in accordance with Section 26 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004.

Section 26 of the act prescribes that if convicted in the high court, the guilty party can be sentenced up to life imprisonment.

If convicted in a regional court, the longest sentence is 18 years and if convicted in a district court, five years.

Ntutu appeared in court yesterday alongside his three co-accused Butterworth businessman Sive Nombembe, Mnquma local municipality employee Zanele Mbewu and Kwazulu-Natal based businessman Regis Masuku.

The four face charges in relation to a R10-million black plastic bag tender the scandal-prone Mnquma local authority issued to Nombembe’s Big Event Boy company two years ago.

Accused number one on the matter was the late Mnquma municipal manager Sindile Tantsi, who died in a car crash earlier this year while out on bail of R40 000.

It is the state’s case that soon after the tender was awarded to Nombembe, he made kickback cash deposits of R235 000 into Ntutu’s account, R185 000 into Nombewu’s account and R650 000 into Masuku’s account.

Ntutu has denied the money was a kickback and described it as a donation for his boxing business.

All four accused have denied the charges against them, saying they would plead not guilty at their trial.

Court proceedings yesterday began shortly before 11am when the state, led by senior prosecuting advocate Diniso Ketani, and the defence, led by Henry van Breda, visited the magistrate’s chambers for a consultation that lasted more than 15 minutes.

After the parties returned to the courtroom followed by presiding magistrate Lundi Qangule, Ketani said that he had given the defence team copies of a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) forensic report dated July 14, which was only received on Wednesday, and as a result the state had not had time to draw up an indictment.

“We have also furnished them with copies of the audit report, copies of the docket and the annexure of the charge sheet,” Ketani said, before dropping his bombshell.

“Your worship, we met with [the director for public prosecutions] in Mthatha on July 19 to discuss a way forward.

“The matter will be prosecuted in the Mthatha High Court.

“In our meeting with the DPP it was not possible to have a high court date and now we are making an application for the matter to be postponed to October 12 for drafting of the indictment and furnishing of a high court date.

“The date will be discussed with the defence.”

The defence did not say anything after Ketani spoke.

The case was postponed to October 12. —