The Nelson Mandela fraud case will resume in the High Court in Bhisho in the Eastern Cape today, with the analysis of cellphone records that need to be downloaded. The application of one of the accused, Phumlani Mkolo, for access to the records could also be presented in court.
The 12 accused in the case are charged with fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act. They include the former Health MEC, Sindiswa Gomba, former Buffalo City speaker, Simon-Ndzele, and former Buffalo City mayor, Zukiswa Ncita.
The case relates to the alleged misappropriation of R10 million from the Buffalo City Metro during preparations for the memorial service of the former president Nelson Mandela in 2013.
The prosecution is expected to argue that the cellphone records are necessary to prove the case against the accused. The defense is likely to argue that the records are irrelevant and should not be admitted into evidence.
The case is expected to continue for several weeks.
Trial of the 11 accused in the Mandela Funeral Fraud Scandal resumes
Here are some additional details about the case:
- The cellphone records are from the accused, as well as from officials and businesses involved in the preparations for the memorial service.
- The prosecution believes that the records will show that the accused were in contact with each other and with businesses that received payments from the metro.
- The defense argues that the records are irrelevant because they do not prove that the accused committed any crime.
