A state prosecutor in a VBS Mutual Bank criminal trial has told the presiding officer that she fears for her life.
This emerged when Avhashoni Stephen Tshifhango appeared in the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday.
The former Thulamela local municipality mayor is accused of accepting a vehicle as a bribe for letting his municipality invest with the now-defunct bank.
For about half an hour, state prosecutor Hilke Meyer had a heated verbal exchange with magistrate Tom Kganyago, who confirmed it was he who authorised the media to cover the case.
The defence lawyer agreed that the lives of witnessed could be in jeopardy
Meyer’s submission was backed by Beauty Madavha, the lawyer for Tshifhango, in arguing that the lives of some witnesses could be in jeopardy.
Meyer and Madavha also said they don’t want their faces to be in the public domain.
State witnesses have been arriving in court under heavily armed escort.
Meyer told Kganyago that she doesn’t want to be identified as the prosecutor in the case.
“I am not going to risk my life by allowing my face to be in the media. We are not refusing the media to cover the trial because we understand that it generates public interest. However, the identities of the witnesses and other role players should be concealed for safety reasons,” she said.
A video journalist was sternly reprimanded for recording court proceedings, especially the accused, Tshifhango.
Journalist ‘threatened’ for trying to take a picture
Sunday World was also not spared. This reporter was told that his cellular phone would be confiscated after he attempted to snap a photograph.
This media censorship was despite an earlier order to allow media coverage of the tension-filled trial.
On January 26, convicted former VBS chairperson, Tshifhiwa Matodzi admitted to his part the corruption that collapsed the bank. He has since been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The mastermind confessed
He pleaded guilty to corruption, racketeering, fraud, theft and money laundering.
Asked how he felt about his involvement in the collapse of the VBS, he said he was remorseful for his deeds.
“When I was the chairman of VBS, we contravened financial laws. We even gave people who did not qualify to get loans money. When we realised that VBS was not enhancing revenue, we targeted local municipalities, particularly those in Limpopo. From these municipalities, we targeted mayors, municipal managers, chief financial officers and influential politicians. It was a great strategy that guaranteed gratification,” he said.
He is expected to return to the stand on February 27 for further cross-examination.
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