…Researched and contributed by Solomon Thomas.
The Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Ventersdorp has postponed the fraud and theft trial against Kgotso Khumalo, the former Executive Mayor of JB Marks Local Municipality, and his accomplices, Cyril Hendry and Mohau Shuping.
The trio will resume trial on 16 August 2023 after several postponements to allow Shuping to appoint a new legal representative.
Background of the Case
Khumalo, Shuping, and Hendry have pleaded not guilty to eight charges of theft and defrauding municipal funds.
They are accused of defrauding the North-West University and the Programme for Community Development by having millions paid into a trust account belonging to Coetzee’s law firm for specific projects by the municipality.
The attorney was then instructed to make various payments, including a R208,000 contribution towards the funeral of the late MEC for Agriculture, Duma Ndleleni.
Testimonies in Trial
During the start of the trial, Willem Coetzee testified as the key witness for the state.
He testified as an attorney from Willem Coetzee Attorneys, a law firm that was a member of a panel of attorneys appointed by the JB Marks Local Municipality to manage its legal and financial mandates through a trust fund.
Coetzee testified that the accused instructed him, as the acting chairperson of the panel, to make payments into several accounts on different occasions.
Coetzee also told the court that Khumalo instructed him to pay two NGOs a loan of R50,000 each, but later he was given a different account to which he transferred R100,000 instead of R50,000 to each NGO.
Furthermore, Coetzee highlighted that false invoices were generated to effect more fictitious payments, in the process of defrauding and stealing money meant for community development in the JB Marks Local Municipality.
Conclusion
The trial against Khumalo, Shuping, and Hendry will continue, and the state intends to call more witnesses to prove that the accused were involved in fraudulent activities.
This case highlights the importance of transparency and accountability in the use of public funds and the consequences that follow when such funds are misused.