Convicts
pent-up over hold-up - 20 November
On Tuesday this week prisoners' rights activist Golden Miles
Bhudu arrived unnoticed at the South Gauteng High Court in
downtown Johannesburg, clutching a sheaf of papers. The
application is a class action against the minister of justice,
the registrar of the South Gauteng High Court, the Gauteng
director of public prosecutions (DPP) and the manager of the
Johannesburg "justice centre" of Legal Aid South
Africa (Lasa), formerly known as the Legal Aid Board. The
prisoners - who are serving long sentences for a range of
serious crimes from murder to rape and hijacking - are asking
the respondents to cough up their trial records, mainly
transcripts of their hearings, so that they can apply for leave
to appeal. If the state cannot provide the 29 applicants with
their records, the convicts will take the next step and demand
to be released. - Mail &
Guardian website
Nair
was wrong : Motata - 25 November
Convicted drunk driver Judge Nkola Motata has refused to abandon
his legal campaign to clear his name. After his Magistrate's
Court bid to challenge his conviction and R20 000 fine for drunk
driving failed last month, the judge has turned to the
Johannesburg High Court for help. The Pretoria High Court judge
is petitioning the High Court for an appeal hearing and
continues to insist that Johannesburg magistrate Desmond Nair
was wrong to convict him. - IOL
website
NPA
says it is entitled to defend itself in civil cases - 29
November
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has denied a charge
that it is using its resources to defend a civil action, which
is outside its remit. Businessman Sandi Majali has accused the
NPA of using one of its prosecutors to defend itself in an
urgent application at the South Gauteng High Court, in which he
seeks the cancellation of a warrant of arrest obtained against
him by the prosecuting authority. He has charged the NPA's
mandate, in terms of Section 179 of the constitution,
is to conduct criminal prosecutions on behalf of the State. - Business
Report website
SABC
court drama intensifies - 24 November
The SABC board has allegedly warned its senior executives not to
testify against the broadcaster in a disputed R400 million
tender it awarded to Sony. This emerged in the Johannesburg High
Court yesterday when the SABC was due to give reasons for its
decision to award the tender to Sony instead of to Digital
Horizons, which was initially awarded the tender by the
procurement committee. - IOL
website
Leigh's
dad speaks out about Moodley ruling - 25 November
The man who murdered Leigh Matthews is trying everything in his
power to get out of jail, and now has only the Supreme Court of
Appeal as his last resort. Joburg High Court Judge Joop
Labuschagne ruled that Moodley's reasons for filing his
application four years late were "extremely meagre and
totally unsatisfactory". - IOL
website
Justice
will come, says Moodley - 25 November
Leigh Matthews' killer Donovan Moodley will stop at nothing to
have his life sentence overturned, he said on Wednesday, shortly
after the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg dismissed his
application to do just that. "I want to make this clear, I
will stop at nothing, leaving no legal means untried", he
said in a hand-written statement given to journalists. In it, he
described himself as a "media favourite" and said it
was his right to pursue justice. - News24
website
'A
mascot for evil' - 25 November
Murderer Donovan Moodley is almost at the end of the road in his
bizarre attempt to prove that he never intended to kill
21-year-old Leigh Matthews. As Moodley went back to the cells he
handed a note to journalists, who gave it to investigating
officer Director Piet Byleveld. - IOL
website
Mathe
has anti-social personality disorder, court hears - 4
December
Notorious criminal Ananias Mathe suffered from an anti-social
personality disorder, the South Gauteng High Court in
Johannesburg heard on Friday. The 33-year-old Mozambican's
psychologist, Wicus Coetzee, said Mathe was never part of a
normal society from childhood. He preferred to be alone most of
the time. "He doesn't know what it is to be in a normal
society, his personality was negatively influenced by what
happened to him". The matter was adjourned to allow Judge
Geraldine Borchers time to consider arguments from both the
State and the defence on the sentencing. Mathe will be back in
court on December 8 2009. He has been convicted of 64 charges of
rape, indecent assault, attempted murder, aggravated robbery and
housebreaking. - Mail &
Guardian website
Judge
rejects Mathe's claims of remorse - 8 December
Claims by Ananias Mathe that he expressed remorse for his
criminal actions have been dismissed in the Johannesburg High
Court by Judge Geraldine Borchers. While passing sentence this
morning, the judge rejected the plea for remorse. "The
accused had no feelings at all for humanity and animals. I had
at least expected him to testify and explain his change of
life". Mathe, known as "the Houdini of C-Max"
after escaping from the high security prison, pleaded not guilty
to all 71 charges against him earlier this year. The charges
included rape, indecent assault, attempted murder, aggravated
robbery and housebreaking. - IOL
website
Mathe
gets long sentence - 8 December
Notorious criminal Ananias Mathe was sentenced to 54 years in
jail by the High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday. He will only
be eligible for parole after he has served 43 years of his
sentence. By then he will be 76 years old. - IOL
website
Selebi
Case
Selebi's
lawyer slams indemnity deals - 23 November
The State in former police commissioner Jackie Selebi's
corruption case came under fire in court today for making
indemnity deals with confessed criminals in exchange for
testimony. Taking the stand in the High Court in Johannesburg
was the chief investigating officer in the Selebi case, Andrew
Gordon Leask. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Jaap
Cilliers, he was questioned as to why indemnity deals were
made with people like Clinton Nassif, the former security head
of slain mining magnate Brett Kebble, and convicted drug
trafficker Glenn Agliotti. - Times
Live website
Selebi
did give Agliotti documents, court hears - 23 November
Jackie Selebi's advocate admitted for the first time on Monday
that the former top cop showed drug dealer Glenn Agliotti
documents "he [Agliotti] had to present to his legal
representatives". One such document is an email sent by
security expert Paul O'Sullivan to former Scorpion Robyn Plitt
in 2006, detailing information gathered from a source who
allegedly worked for the Kebble family's former head of
security, Clinton Nassif. - Mail
& Guardian website
Selebi
trial told of spying - 23 November
The lead investigator in the corruption case against Jackie
Selebi linked the former top cop to underworld criminals - and
revealed the involvement of Selebi's nemesis in the
investigation. Paul O'Sullivan, a former security boss for the
Airports Company of South Africa, was publicly involved in a
dispute with Selebi about his dismissal from the company. - Times
Live website
Maze
of dates and missing evidence at Selebi trial - 23
November
Highly-charged trials like Jackie Selebi's offer many days
that are shocking, revealing or just barely believable. Most
of them offer great entertainment value. Monday was not one of
those days. While the legal experts would call it "technical"
argument, the media would call it mind-numbingly boring. - The
Daily Maverick website
Agliotti
in more Kebble trouble?
- 24 November
News from the Jackie Selebi trial in Johannesburg, where the
erstwhile national police commissioner is accused of
corruption and defeating the ends of justice, is that Glen
Agliotti and John "Turtle" Stratton could face
charges for the shooting, thankfully non-fatal, of Stephen
Mildenhall*, previously boss at Cape Town-based money manager Allan
Gray. - Moneyweb
website
National
security under spotlight at Selebi trial - 23 November
National security will be negatively affected if former
intelligence coordinator Barry Gilder is allowed to testify in
former police national commissioner Jackie Selebi's corruption
trial. That is the thrust of State Security Minister Siyabonga
Cwele's affidavit that was submitted to the South Gauteng High
Court on Monday afternoon by his legal representative,
advocate Marumo Moerane. - Mail
& Guardian website
Arguments
on legality of Selebi witness testimony - 24 November
Arguments will be heard at the South Gauteng High Court this
afternoon over the legality of a former intelligence
coordinator's right to testify in the corruption trial of
former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi. Yesterday
the Minister of State Security, Siyabonga Cwele and the
Director-General of the State Security Agency, Mzuvukile
Maqetuka brought an application against the State to object
against the testimony of Barry Gilder. - Times
Live website
Selebi
judge allows testimony of former intelligence official -
24 November
Judge Meyer Joffe ruled on Tuesday that national security will
not be compromised if the former coordinator of intelligence,
Barry Gilder, gives evidence in the Jackie Selebi corruption
trial. Joffe, however, ruled that Gilder should testify in
camera and journalists were ordered to leave the courtroom. - Mail
& Guardian website
Spy
bosses intervene in Selebi case - 25 November
Spy bosses have halted the state's plans to lead its crucial
closing evidence against ex-police chief Jackie Selebi - at
least until next week. Former intelligence chief Barry Gilder
only has to answer three questions about a top secret report
that Selebi allegedly showed his then friend Glenn Agliotti,
but his bosses insist that his answers could compromise South
Africa's national security. - IOL
website
Selebi
judge rules against spy bosses - 1 December
South Africa's spy bosses will petition the Supreme Court of
Appeal (SCA) in a last effort to keep former intelligence
coordinator Barry Gilder out of the witness box in Jackie
Selebi's corruption trial. And this could delay Selebi's trial
for months. - Mail &
Guardian website
Woman
strips off her clothes at Selebi trial - 1 December
The Jackie Selebi corruption trial was disrupted this morning
when a woman screamed and removed her clothes in protest
against her husband’s murder case. The woman, dressed in a
black jacket and black head scarf, sat quietly for over an
hour before proceedings in the High Court in Johannesburg
started. Then, once the matter got under way, she pulled out a
banner covered in Aids ribbons and pictures of women blowing
trumpets. The woman then screamed that she wanted the
prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, to tell her when the case - where she
appears to be accused of the murder – would get under way,
saying it had been ten years since the event. - Sowetan
website
Selebi
case on ice - 1 December
Former police commissioner Jackie Selebi's corruption case
began a lengthy hiatus on Tuesday afternoon after the state
security ministry took further legal action to prevent an
ex-intelligence official from testifying. The trial will only
resume on February 1, 2010, and even then it is not clear if
proceedings - in a matter which by then would have spanned
four years - will actually get under way. - IOL
website
NPA
meets Selebi prosecutors - 3 December
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) met the prosecuting
team in the Jackie Selebi case on Thursday morning but no
information would be made public, NPA spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga
said. - IOL website
Selebi
spy's paranoid world - 4 December
A former police intelligence boss has dropped a bombshell in
the middle of Jackie Selebi's corruption trial, alleging that
Selebi's prosecutor is part of a "judicial mafia"
trying to subvert the state. Mulangi Mphego, the former acting
divisional commissioner of crime intelligence, alleges that
prosecutor Gerrie Nel and the lead investigator in Selebi's
case, Andrew Leask, are among 45 people under investigation
for plotting to discredit the government. Mphego makes the
sensational claims in an affidavit submitted to the Randburg
Magistrate’s Court this week as part of his application for
a permanent stay of prosecution. - Mail
& Guardian website