The former CEO of Pio-Trans, Mochele Noge, is at war with the company’s controversial chairperson, advocate Nomazotsho Memani, challenging her to produce evidence of fraud charges levelled against him. Pio-Trans is Rea Vaya’s bus operating company.
Noge, a chartered accountant and member of the Tax Court, claimed that Memani was out to slander him with accusations she cannot prove.
Claims of fraud were levelled against Noge, a claim he disputes and which he said “only exists in Memani’s imagination”. “Fraud is a serious charge and as a member of Tax Court, I cannot allow Nomazotsho to throw such mud at me. She needs to prove her claims because she cannot accuse me of things she has no proof of. I am a chartered accountant with huge accountability on my shoulders,” said Noge.
This comes after Memani had made claims in her answering affidavit, which she deposed in the Joburg High Court regarding the liquidation application filed by Noge to have Pio-Trans liquidated. Noge at the time claimed he was owed millions of rands by Pio-Trans.
“If Nomazotsho claims I was charged with fraud and other charges she stated in court documents, I challenge her to prove her allegations.
“There was no disciplinary hearing held. She must produce evidence that I was employed in personal capacity. Pio-Trans generated a pay slip in July 2022, bearing my names with claims that I got engaged with the company in July 2022. How was that possible for the company to claim that I started working for it on July 1 2022, while my company Gioberti has been getting payments from Pio-Trans since April 2021. Her affidavit is full of lies and misrepresentations.”
Noge added that Memani lied about him not attending the disciplinary hearing.
“I have all the documentation regarding this matter, and the disciplinary hearing which was supposed to be held on August 31 2022 never took place.”
In the recording we have listened to, Pio-Trans lawyer Phyllis Foster told the prosecutor, advocate William Mokhari SC, that Noge was never given any evidence by Pio-Trans, except a document containing charges against him. “There is a slight problem that advocate Gerrie Nel is not available to proceed with the matter and we ask for the postponement. Mr Noge was provided with the charge sheet document, but he was never provided with any bundle of documentation as far as the hearing is concerned,” said Foster in the recording of the supposedly hearing recorded on September 1 2021.
In the recorded Zoom meeting, which we have seen, between Noge’s lawyer Bertus Joubert of Joubert Attorneys and Pio-Trans lawyers, Nel and Foster and Memani, a decision was taken that Pio-Trans would enter into a settlement agreement with Gioberti and part ways, but no final decision was taken thereafter. This prompted Gioberti and Noge to head to court to file an application to litigate Pio-Trans.
Sunday World sent detailed questions to Memani to respond to Noge’s claims, however, she said: “These matters raised in your e-mail form part of the matter that is currently in court and should therefore be treated as sub judice.
“On this basis, it is therefore our position not to engage further on this matter. We have explained such to both the board and our stakeholders.”
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