Fort Hare’s Plaatjies launches bail bid in fraud case
Lawyer believes appeal court will decide soon on his application in murder matter
Axed University of Fort Hare senior director Isaac Plaatjies has launched a bid to be released on bail in his fraud and corruption case.
Plaatjies’ upbeat attorney, Elias Makhanya, said they were confident the Supreme Court of Appeal would rule in their favour “any day now”.
Makhanya on Thursday told the Alice magistrate’s court, sitting in Dimbaza, that Plaatjies, who had abandoned his bail bid in April, was now ready to apply for bail again. He abandoned the bid while fighting for the higher courts to reverse a decision of the magistrate’s court to deny him bail.
He faces charges including the murder of the bodyguard of vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu in January 2023, among a litany of charges.
Plaatjies’ initial bail bid was denied in December.
Three other attempts to be released on bail, including two high court applications and a bid claiming new facts were denied earlier in 2024.
The matter is now before the appeal court.
“In view of the fact that the issues have crystallised; we have been given the indictment as well, we are now ready to do the bail application,” Makhanya said.
A counsel from Johannesburg had been briefed to do the application, Makhanya said.
“There is a pending matter in the SCA in regard to the initial matter of murder cases.
“A decision of the SCA can come out any time from today onwards.”
Outside court, Makhanya said papers were filed to the appeal court on April 8.
Makhanya said he believed they would be successful.
He said the high court had erred in not releasing Plaatjies on bail.
“In so far as the murder case is concerned, there’s just no direct evidence against him.
“It is only said that he made phone calls to [Thamsanqa Mgwetyana, accused nine in the murders case].
“All that was needed was to get a technical expert to come up with that evidence of each person that was called on that day. The name of Mgwetyana is not there.
“In so far as the fraud case is concerned, everybody else got bail ... if you read the indictment, there’s no reason Mr Plaatjies shouldn’t be granted bail.”
Plaatjies is accused one in the fraud and corruption case against suspended and former university officials and businesses alleged to have defrauded the university out of more than R171m.
The other accused are Anna Susana Ansa Smith, Paul Anathanatius Tladi, Lucrecia Claudine Davids, Mbulelo Gingcina, Louis Nkateko Mawila, Nozuko Theodora Mabombo, Gosain Wayne van der Haar, Thamsanqa Sonjica, Terrence Joubert, Bradley Conradie, Sarah Pearl Burger, Craig Retief, Anwar Khan, Nthabiseng Keitumetse Makhoba and Justin Peter King.
It is alleged that between April 2019 and February 2024, all the accused falsely defrauded the university by expressly stating or implying to the university, Buhlungu and chief financial officer Charles Matumba that there was a “dangerous atmosphere after the arranged shootings were perpetrated in the UFH”.
This atmosphere necessitated a deviation from the university’s normal tender process rules.
All the contracts of the respective service providers were backdated from 2019, even when the recent shootings in 2022 were used as a reason.
The invoices approved by Plaatjies in conjunction with Smith, Tladi, Gingcana, Mawila, Mabombo, Van der Haar and Sonjica allegedly reflected incorrect amounts as agreed between the university and the service providers.
Pentagon Company Group owned by Khan allegedly raked in R62.2m.
Conradie’s law firm allegedly received more than R44.7m.
Horizon Forensics, owned by Conradie where Burger is a director, allegedly received more than R33.6m. EL Reign received more than R10.5m.
Tarlec, owned by Joubert, allegedly received more than R7.6m. Terrence Joubert was paid more than R6.6m.
Craig Retief received more than R6.2m. Elvis Mutsakanyi received more than R150,000.
Except for Plaatjies, only Joubert remains in custody.
They will be back in court on September 12 after their case was postponed for further investigation.