[miningmx.com] — The fraud case against late businessman Sandile Majali’s four co-accused was postponed in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
A mental assessment report on Harry Sferopoulous by a Sterkfontein psychiatrist earlier found he was schizophrenic and bi-polar and therefore unfit to stand trial.
His co-accused Elvis Bongani Ndala and Stephen Khoza still had to undergo their assessment. The fourth accused, Linda Dlamini, was previously released on bail.
They allegedly hijacked mining company Kalahari Resources by listing themselves as its directors on the company registry Cipro.
The court heard Ndala allegedly became aggressive when officials attempted taking him to Sterkfontein for his assessment on Monday.
He explained to the court he refused to be taken for assessment because he and Khoza had made an application to the High Court in Johannesburg to have the order to be examined set aside. However Ndala’s lawyer said he had not seen the application.
Magistrate Ashika Ramlaal however ordered the accused to go for their tests, and warned them that necessary force would be used to do so.
Sferopoulous and Khoza had apparently previously absconded from Sterkfontein mental hospital. It was also established that Khoza had already been in court over a matter similar to the one pending.
In addition, in June 2004, Khoza and Ndala allegedly went to a police station in Johannesburg posing as police officers.
The three are listed as directors of the “South African Community Government Union” (SACGU). Its website, www.sacgu.org, carries bizarre graphs and pictures.
According to the website, Khoza is the “master” of the SACGU, Ndala the “deputy” and “doctor” Sferopoulous in charge of “economics”.
An extract from website’s home page reads: “Overseeing the multinational people of the Republic of South Africa, united by the common fate of our land, establishing human rights and freedoms, civic peace and accord, preserving the historical established state unity, proceeding from the universally recognised state principles of equality and self-determination of peoples… .”
Its main objective is to “develop human capital”.
Majali, who was arrested in October last year, was found dead in a Sandton hotel in December. His memorial service was held on December 30, in Johannesburg, and attended by senior ANC members – including national executive member Ngoako Ramatlodi, Billy Masetla and Deputy Tourism Minister Thokozile Xasa and KwaZulu-Natal legislature speaker Peggy Nkonyeni.
About 3 000 people attended his funeral at Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape on January 9.
Dlamini’s bail was extended while the case was postponed for the other accused to be assessed.
They are expected to return to court on March 1.
