Cases that rocked celebville
Court dealt with a slew of high-profile matters
SOUTH African courts were at their tipping point in 2015.
They were flooded with high-profile cases, which drew attention from all corners of the country and the world, and will likely be quoted as reference in years to come.
Some of those that stood out, got people talking and on the edge of their seat – while broadcast on TV – included the murder cases of disgraced Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, Jozi FM DJ Donald Sebolai and murdered rapper Flabba.
The three cases were concluded in 2015, but the drama continues in the new year. Pistorius and his lawyers have decided to seek leave to appeal the murder verdict at the Constitutional Court.
Flabba ’ s murderer, Sindisiwe Manqele, indicated, through her lawyers, that she would appeal her murder conviction.
She dodged spending Christmas in jail after her legal representatives filed for bail, which was granted while she was awaiting sentencing early next year.
Sebolai, popularly known as DJ Donald Duck, was also awaiting sentencing for the murder of his girlfriend Dolly Tshabalala.
Nelson Mandela ’ s grandson Mbuso Mandela was also in the spotlight.
That ’ s because he was accused of raping a 15-year-old girl.
The young Mandela claimed in court that the sex was consensual. He was granted bail for R7 000, and later sent to 1 Military Hospital for psychological observation.
His trial was scheduled to continue early next year.
The shocking divorce filed at South Gauteng Hight Court by Kaizer Chiefs ’ assistant coach and soccer legend Doctor Khumalo ’ s wife Blanche Garises was another highlight for 2015.
The messy divorce revealed juicy details, including that the couple had been sleeping in separate rooms for three years and no longer had a sexual connection.
Kaizer Chiefs player George Lebese was nabbed for allegedly moering his girlfriend at a pub in Mamelodi, Tshwane.
Lebese survived the possibility of jail time after the girlfriend withdrew the case from court.
Also caught in the legal web was Economic Freedom Fighters chief whip and Deputy President Floyd Shivambu.
Shivambu was involved in papgeld drama at the Randburg Magistrate ’ s Court for disputing paternity of the child he allegedly fathered in 2011.
But he was eventually proved wrong when the paternity test revealed he was indeed the father of the baby boy.
Comedian Trevor Gumbi also featured in the year ’ s legal drama. This was after he was nabbed by police for driving over the speed limit in October.
Gumbi was caught doing 131km/h in a 120km/h zone, but got away without a criminal record after clinching a deal with the cops to get into a diversion programme, in which he would clean toilets.
Singer and TV presenter Thembi Seete was also caught on the wrong side of the law after being nabbed for speeding.
The 38-year-old former Boom Shaka singer and Nkaiketsang hitmaker was given bail for R500 after being arrested for driving 119km/h in a 60km/h zone in Edenvale, Ekurhuleni.
She was ordered by the court to attend a programme with the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Rehabilitation of Offenders.
Former Metro FM presenter DJ Sbu Leope tempered with the rules of the road and found himself in trouble with the men in blue.
Leope was nabbed for drunk driving during a police stop-and-search operation on the Main Reef Road in Randfontein, on the West Rand, in March. He was released on R1 500 bail.
Kwaito musician Sipho “Brickz ” Ndlovu ’ s rape case will rumble on at the Roodepoort Magistrate ’ s Court in 2016.
As if that was not enough, Brickz was also fingered in the disappearance of a speedpoint machine at a Total garage in Durban. His lawyer, Dumisani Mabunda, later told Sunday World that the speedpoint was returned to the garage after it was found to be in the possession of one of Brickz ’ s friends.
Gospel star Deborah Fraser was another celebrity who was caught in the middle of a legal drama.
She was hauled to the South Gauteng High Court by the family of her deceased tenant. They claimed the muso was refusing to hand over the dead woman ’ s belongings.
The deceased woman ’ s son told the court that Deborah was demanding that the family pay R59 000 in fees the tenant owed at the time of her death before handing them her belongings, and that they buy a goat and bring a sangoma to her house to cleanse it.
Tshwane Mayor Kgosientso Ramokhopa was also the subject of a court matter. This was after one of his residents allegedly threatened him, claiming the politician was sleeping with his wife.
Sunday World ran a series of stories about a court case involving a former Transnet and Prasa executive Nomathamsanqa Pink Vena, who allegedly duped the two entities to secure top posts with fake qualifications.
Vena was arrested and charged with fraud and the theft of R1.2-million.