Ndebele tries to skip trial appearance

SBU Ndebele, the former transport minister accused of pocketing over R10-million through alleged bribery while in the department, will be in Canberra, Australia, attending to his high commissioner duties when his co-accused in a criminal case returns to court on September 1.

Jerome Brauns, SC, Ndebele’s lawyer in the fraud and money laundering case, asked the court to excuse him from his next appearance.

However, in another application against Tasima, a company accused of bribing Ndebele, the transport department told the highest court in the country Ndebele “was recalled [from Australia] most recently as a result of the [criminal] indictment”.

But yesterday Brauns told magistrate Nicca Setshogoe at the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court his client “travels all the way from Australia” for the case and sought to be excused on September 1.

Prosecutor Peter Serunye indicated to Setshogoe he was not opposed to this request.

The case is expected to be transferred to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in September.

Ndebele is accused number one, followed by former director-general George Mahlalela and his deputy Zakhele Thwala.

Others are business executives Tebogo Mphuti and Justine Ncube.