Case Law[2022] ZAGPPHC 693South Africa
Director of Public Prosecutions, Pretoria v Mudolo and Another (A77/2022) [2022] ZAGPPHC 693 (13 September 2022)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria)
13 September 2022
Headnotes
the lower court primarily had to consider the interests of justice when determining
Judgment
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## Director of Public Prosecutions, Pretoria v Mudolo and Another (A77/2022) [2022] ZAGPPHC 693 (13 September 2022)
Director of Public Prosecutions, Pretoria v Mudolo and Another (A77/2022) [2022] ZAGPPHC 693 (13 September 2022)
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sino date 13 September 2022
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# IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
# GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA
GAUTENG
DIVISION, PRETORIA
Case
number: A77/2022
REPORTABLE:
NO
OF
INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: YES
REVISED:
YES
13
SEPTEMBER 2022
In
the matter between:
# THE
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC
THE
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC
PROSECUTIONS,
PRETORIA
Applicant
v
# WILLAM
JOSEPH MUDOLO
1st
Respondent
WILLAM
JOSEPH MUDOLO
1st
Respondent
ZETHU
ONDOWA MATHINGANA MUDOLO
2
nd
Respondent
# JUDGMENT
JUDGMENT
MOSOPA,
J
1.
This is an appeal in terms of the provisions of section 65A
of the
Criminal Procedure Act, 51 of 1977 ("CPA"), brought by the
State, represented by the applicant, against the order
made by
Magistrate T Theledi, sitting in the Pretoria Magistrates' Court on
17 June 2021, permitting that the first respondent
be released on
bail brought on new facts.
2.
Further, this is an appeal against the order made by Magistrate
T
Theledi on 8 March 2022, amending the bail conditions of the first
and second respondents imposed on 4 November 2020 and 17 November
2021, respectively.
BACKGROUND
3.
The respondents, who are husband and wife, the first respondent
being
a Zambian national and the second respondent a South African, are
arraigned along with four (4) other accused in the Pretoria
Magistrates' Court, wherein the first and second respondents appeared
as accused numbers one and two, on a Schedule 5 offence,
relating to
theft and money laundering to the value of over R100 million.
4.
On 4 November, the second respondent was granted bail in the
amount
of R20 000.00. On the same date, her co-accused, Mr Shepherd Huxley
Bushiri and Ms Mary Bushiri, who appeared as accused
numbers four and
five, were also granted bail in the amount of R200 000.00. Accused
six, Ms Landiwe Nthokwana Sinalani was also
granted bail in the
amount of R100 000.00.
5.
The bail conditions set for the second respondent on 4 November
2020,
were that;
5.1.
she must report to the Morningside Police Station every Monday and
Friday, between 06h00 and 18h00, until
the matter is finalised;
5.2.
she is prohibited from travelling outside the borders of the Republic
until the matter is finalised;
5.3.
she must surrender her travelling documents to the Investigating
Officer, which should remain in his custody
until the matter is
finalised;
5.4.
she must not intimidate and threaten state witnesses, either directly
or indirectly; and
5.5.
she must adhere to these bail conditions and that the State has a
discretion to bring an application in terms
of section 68 of the CPA,
for the cancellation of her bail, in event of default.
6.
The first respondent's bail application was not heard on the
date it
was brought by the first respondent. On 6 November 2020, the Pretoria
Magistrates' Court cancelled the bail of accused
four and five as
they absconded, in terms of the provisions of section 68(1) of the
CPA and issued the warrant for their arrest.
When the current matter
was heard on 15 July 2022, accused four and five were still at large.
7.
On 15 December 2020, the first respondent was denied bail and
on 17
June 2021, the first respondent was permitted to bail in the amount
of R250 000.00, in an application brought on new facts,
where the
following conditions were imposed;
7.1.
that he is not to leave Gauteng Province and must reside at his place
of residence until the trial matter
is finalised;
7.2.
that he is prohibited (barred) from traveling outside the borders of
the Republic until the matter is finalised;
7.3.
that he is prohibited (barred) from applying for or obtaining any
traveling documents during the duration
of the trial;
7.4.
that he must report to Sandton Police Station every Monday and Friday
between 06h00 and 18h00 until the matter
is finalised;
7.5.
that he must surrender his title deed of his property located at
[....] E[....], S[....], Sandton, with a
purchase price of R25
million to the National Prosecuting Authority, Asset Forfeiture Unit,
at VGM Building in Silverton on or
before 17 June 2021 for
safekeeping until the matter is finalised. Further, that he, along
with the second respondent, are prohibited
from applying for a new
title deed and disposing of such property in any matter until the
matter is finalised.
8.
On 8 March 2022, the first and second respondent's bail conditions
were amended by Magistrate T Theledi, in terms of the provisions of
section 63 of the CPA, to read as follows, after an application
was
brought by the respondents for such an amendment, which application
was opposed by the State;
8.1.
that the first and second respondents' bail condition that they may
not travel outside the borders of Gauteng,
is amended to read that
they may travel outside the borders of Gauteng on condition that the
investigating officer is informed
in writing and they must provide
the investigating officer with the confirmation of their bookings
seven days before their departure,
they cannot be away from Gauteng
for more than ten (10) days and they are excused from reporting to
the Police Station on Monday
and Friday while away from Gauteng;
8.2.
amending the condition that prohibits them from traveling outside the
borders of the Republic and that they
may travel outside the borders
of the Republic by informing the investigating officer in writing
fourteen (14) days before their
departure, and furnish him with
confirmation of their accommodation bookings as well as return flight
tickets, and;
8.3.
that they may not be away from the Republic for more that twenty-five
(25) days, and in the period of their
absence from the Republic, they
are excused from reporting to the Police Station on Mondays and
Fridays.
9.
The applicant obtained an order for leave to appeal the Pretoria
Magistrates' Court's order granting bail to the first respondent and
the amendment of the bail conditions of the respondents on
4 May
2022, in terms of section 310A of the CPA, in which condonation for
the late filing of the leave to appeal application was
also granted.
LEGAL
PRINCIPLE
10.
Section 65A(1)(a) - (b) of the CPA which this appeal matter resorts
under provides
that;
"65(A)(1)(a)
-
The
attorney-general may appoint to the superior court having
jurisdiction, against the decision of a lower court to release an
accused on bail or against the imposition of a bail condition of bail
as contemplated in section 65(1)(a);(b)-The provisions of
section
310A in request of an application or appeal referred to in that
section by an attorney-general and the provisions of section
65(1)(b)
and (c) and (2), (3) and (4) in respect of an appeal referred to in
that section by an accused, shall apply mutatis mutandis
with
reference to
a
case
in
which
the attorney-general appeals
in
terms
of paragraph (a) of this subsection."
11.
The subsections and subparagraphs still make reference to the words
"attorney-general"
and "superior court", but for
the purposes of the determination of this matter, it may be accepted
that references to
attorney general are understood to mean the
office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (the applicant) and
references to
superior court are understood to mean the High Court.
12.
Of importance is that the subsection extends a right to appeal to the
applicant, not
only against an order to release an accused on bail by
the lower courts, but also against the imposition of bail conditions
relating
to the release of the accused on bail in terms of the
provisions of section 65(1)(a) of the CPA.
13.
Section 60(12) of the CPA provides that;
"[601(12)
The court may make the release of an accused on bail subject to
conditions which in the court's opinion, are in the
interest of
justice."
14.
The court's primary consideration when considering an application to
amend an
accused's bail conditions in terms of section 60(12), is to
make a determination as to whether such an amendment to the accused's
bail conditions is in the interest of justice. This approach was
adopted in the matter of
S v Savoi
2012 (1) SACR 438
(SCA)
at para
7, where the Supreme Court of Appeal held that the lower court
primarily had to consider the interests of justice when determining
whether an amendment of the bail conditions was necessary.
15.
The onus rests on the party seeking the amendment and such burden of
proof ought to
be discharged on a balance of probabilities (see
Shefer v Director of Public
Prosecutions, Transvaal
2004 (2) SACR 92
(T)
at
99G). It is therefore accepted that a party seeking the amendment
ought to advance evidence that indicate on the probabilities
that an
amendment of bail conditions will;
i)
give credence to and;
ii)
be the best expression of the interest
of justice.
16.
Section 63(1) of the CPA provides that;
"[631](1)
Any court before which
a
charge
is pending in respect of which bail has been granted may, upon the
application of the prosecutor or the accused, increase
or reduce the
amount of bail determined under section 59 or 60 or amend or
supplement any condition imposed under section 60 or
62, whether
imposed by that court or any other court, and may, where the
application is made by the prosecutor and the accused
is not present
when the application is made, issue
a
warrant for the arrest of the accused
and, when the accused is present in court, determine the
application."
17.
The purpose of section 63(1) is mainly to regulate the process where
for example there
is a change in the circumstances of a particular
accused which warrants the appropriate amendment to the conditions of
bail or
the bail amount which was earlier fixed by a particular court
(see
Shefer
matter
supra; Commentary on the
Criminal
Procedure Act,
Du Toit et al, at
9-91).
Section 63(1)
should be read with the provisions of
section
60(2B)
of the CPA.
18.
Finally,
section 65(4)
of the CPA provides for the court's powers
when sitting as an appellate court in bail matters and states;
"[651](4)
The court or judge hearing the appeal shall not set aside the
decision against which the appeal is brought, unless
such court or
judge is satisfied that the decision was wrong, in which event the
court or judge shall give the decision which in
its or his opinion
the lower court should have given."
19.
The subsection basically vests the appeal court dealing with the
appeal against bail
and/or bail conditions with the same status as
the appeal court determining an appeal on conviction and sentence.
The appeal can
only interfere with such order where a misdirection
occurred.
MAGISTRATE'S
REASONS FOR GRANTING THE FIRST REPONDENT BAIL ON
NEW
FACTS
AND
FOR
AMENDMENT
OF
BAIL
CONDITIONS
OF
THE
RESPONDENTS
20.
In denying the first respondent bail, the lower court initially
looked at the fact
that the first respondent was arrested at OR Tambo
International Airport, as he attempted to leave the country, despite
his legal
representative having been given notice of the imminent
arrest of the first respondent. After his detention, he found to be
in
possession of a cellphone, communicating with unidentified people,
more importantly, bribing court officials for his release. The
right
to innocence plays a very limited role at that stage of the
proceedings and consequently, the court found that it is not
in the
interests of justice to release the first respondent on bail.
21.
In permitting the first respondent to bail, the lower court stated
that;
"In
this application, the court has taken
a
look at the facts stated holistically
including the fact that the accused has been incarcerated for eight
months, the fact that
he has argued the strength of the case against
him
as a
person,
the fact that his mother's health is failing, the fact that his
health
is
suffering
due to the fact that he might be incarcerated for
a
lot longer than anticipated to the
fact that some of his co-accused have absconded."(sic)
22.
In amending the bail conditions of the respondents', the lower court,
after considering
the fact that the first respondent's businesses are
suffering as he is prohibited from traveling outside the borders of
the Republic,
stated that;
"The
court is also taking into account the fact that in light that the
proceedings have already proven to be lengthy clearly
their
livelihood is going to be negatively affected. Whereas the purpose of
bail condition is not to cripple them economically,
but to ensure
that they attend the rest of the criminal proceedings.
Accused
2 is
a
South
African national. The two of them are married. They also have put up
their 25 million rand worth of
a
house together with
a
joint amount of R270 000 for bail.
When
the court amends their conditions it will do so in
a
way that we will bind them to return
to Republic of South Africa."
DELAY
IN APPEALING LOWER COURT'S ORDER
23.
Bail in respect of the first respondent was granted on 17 June 2021,
and the respondent's
bail conditions granted on 8 March 2022, and it
was contended by Mr Hlatswayo on behalf of the respondents that the
lapse of time
between the granting of bail and the time taken to
appeal such orders is a long period of time which renders the appeal
academic.
24.
The applicant did not attach to this appeal record, an application
brought in terms
of section 310A of the CPA for leave to appeal the
lower court's orders, but only the order granted on 4 May 2022 by
this court.
From the order, it is plain that condonation of the late
filing of the leave to appeal application was sought by the
applicant.
This court, when considering that application, it can be
accepted that it was of the view that, amongst other things, there
are
prospects of success on appeal, as it is the test (see
Prokereur-Generaal, Vrystaat v
Ramokhozi
1997 (1) SACR 127
(0)
at 139(i) to 140(a)).
25.
This is the acceptable test of condonation application but
unfortunately this court
does not have the benefit of the reasons
behind the granting of such application in terms of section 310A of
the CPA.
26.
Section 65A(1)(a) does not deal with the time period within which the
appeal
must be brought. It is trite that bail appeals, or more
generally bail matters are treated as urgent and warrant being heard,
as
a matter of principle, as soon as possible (see
S
v Maliwa
1986 (3) SA 721
(W)).
The applicant in its notice of
appeal does not state why the appeal was brought late, but as I have
already indicated, I assume
that that factor was dealt with in the
application for leave to appeal.
27.
It is for the above reasons that I find that the appeal should not be
treated as academic,
also taking into account that the amendment of
bail conditions was granted as recently as 8 March 2022, which was
followed by an
order granting leave to appeal on 4 May 2022.
ANALYSIS
28.
When the first respondent was initially denied bail, he was deemed a
flight risk,
as the lower court considered the fact that when the
first respondent was arrested, he was attempting to leave the country
on a
one-way flight ticket. Since the first respondent was granted
bail on 17 June 2021, he has never defaulted on his court appearances
and he has adhered to his bail conditions.
29.
The approach should consider all facts by the court when considering
a bail application
on new facts before it, new and old, and on the
totality come to a conclusion (see
S
v Peterson
2008 (2) SACR 355
(CJ; S v Mququ
2019 (2) SACR 207
(ECG)).
In
both applications for bail, the first respondent deposed to
affidavits and also in the second bail application on new facts led
the evidence of Warrant Officer de Lange who was initially the
investigating officer in the matter.
30.
In his affidavit in support of bail on new facts, the first
respondent averred
that;
30.1.
his health has deteriorated in prison and he is suffering from
shortness of breath, recovered from chicken pox and he has
abdominal
problems and stomach aches. He is unable to get the necessary medical
treatment whilst in custody at the correctional
centre;
30.2.
his family life is affected financially as he is not working and he
is the sole breadwinner;
30.3.
his mother, who resides in Zambia, is sick and has been referred to a
cardiologist and an endocrinologist, but
she is unable to consult
with the experts because of his incarceration;
30.4.
he employs a number of people whose families depend on him for
financial support and his continued incarceration impacts his
employees and companies as he cannot generate income;
30.5.
he has instructed his attorney, Mrs Hitge, to apply for the extension
of his visa with the Department of Home Affairs and
she has received
a letter of good cause from the Department;
30.6.
the extradition process relating to accused numbers four and five by
the State is going to delay the finalisation of the matter
further as
at the time of deposing to the affidavit, he had been in custody for
seven months, pending the finalisation of the matter.
Further, that
the State is taking a long time to finalise the investigation of his
matter, and;
30.7.
the State's case against him is weak.
31.
Warrant Officer de Lange testified that the first respondent is
linked as a director
in the company called The Rising Estates, in
which he is a co-director with the second respondent, because of a
deposit which was
made into the account belonging to The Rising
Estates. In the conversation he had with the first respondent, he
informed him that
the complainant said she wanted her money back and
she is not interested in the arrest, as she is sick and does not have
money
for her medication, and the amount involved was R900 000.00.
The first respondent left the country several times but he could
inform
him when he left the country, as he informed him that he needs
money to repay the complainant and the money is not in the Republic,
but that was before his arrest.
32.
In cross-examination, it was put to him that after three years, when
he was no longer
the investigating officer in the matter, he cannot
testify about the strength of the State's case, as four additional
statements
were obtained from complainants. Further, that he is not
aware of other investigations that links the first respondent to the
commission
of the offences.
33.
It appears that the lower court, when deciding the application for
bail on new
facts of the first respondent, did consider the decisions
of
S v Peterson
and
S v Mququ
(supra),
but did not apply the principles in
those authorities to the current matter. The lower court, in
permitting the first respondent
to bail, failed to consider the
admitted evidence used to deny the first respondent bail in the first
bail application.
34.
No consideration was placed on the fact that the court, in denying
the first respondent
bail, found that he was a flight risk, he uses
passports with different dates of birth and that he has access to his
cellphone
while in custody and effected international transfers of
money.
35.
The lower court found that the State's case is weak against the first
respondent,
despite the evidence of Warrant Officer de Lange
traversed when he testified that the first and second respondents are
only linked
by the deposit made into the account linked to the
company that they are listed as directors of, whereas after he was
removed as
the investigating officer, the State obtained further
evidence linking the first respondent to the commission of the
offence. The
lower court further disregarded the evidence of Warrant
Officer de Lange that the first respondent was willing to repay the
complainant
who deposited the money into his company's bank account.
This admissible evidence, in my considered view, weighed against the
granting
of bail of the first respondent.
36.
Despite all I have stated above, I find it difficult to interfere
with the decision
of the lower court and set it aside for the
following;
36.1.
at the time of hearing this appeal matter, it was not placed before
me that since the first respondent was permitted to bail,
he has
defaulted on his appearances at court or contravened his bail
conditions;
36.2.
no evidence was adduced on his current status in the country which
played a major role in the refusal of bail in his initial
bail
application and labelled a flight risk, the only issue dealt with was
the different dates of birth in passports possessed
by the first
respondent. It is common cause that the first respondent traveled
into and outside the Republic with such passports.
AMENDMENT
OF BAIL CONDITIONS
37.
Both the respondents, when they were permitted to bail, conditions
were attached to
their release on bail. Amongst the conditions set,
was that they cannot travel outside the province of Gaunteng without
informing
the investigating officer and also that they cannot travel
outside the borders of the Republic. They were ordered to surrender
their traveling documents and prohibited from applying for new
traveling documents.
38.
The application for the amendment of bail conditions of the
respondents was done by
way of affidavits, the second respondent
deposing to a confirmatory affidavit, in which the first respondent
stated that;
38.1.
there has been a change in their circumstances since their original
bail applications and bail conditions set, in that he
has been
granted a spousal permit which will expire in 2024 and he is allowed
to apply for permanent residence in the Republic;
38.2.
that he has business establishments in the Republic, Zambia, Hong
Kong and he is required to travel on a regular basis in
order to
facilitate and negotiate deals for their group of companies;
38.3.
after becoming aware of the investigations into them a year before
his arrest, he traveled outside the Republic many times
and every
time he would inform Warrant Officer de Lange of his travel
arrangements and also when he returned to the country;
38.4.
the concession made by the State on 17 November 2021, that his arrest
was made prematurely due to allegations of abscondment;
38.5.
that since his release, he has been subject to harassment by the
State and the investigating team. The matter is constantly
under
investigation and there is no indication as to when the
investigations will be concluded, accompanied by numerous
postponements;
38.6.
he cannot conduct business relating to his clients remotely as his
physical presence is needed to purposes of making presentations,
assessments and analysis;
38.7.
that the international travel restrictions of the second respondent
becancelled as she is currently assisting him in some
of the family
businesses and she assists mostly in research and development.
Further, that she be released from reporting to the
police station as
prescribed.
39.
The State led the oral evidence of Colonel Marais, who conducted a
company research
with regard to the international company of the
first respondent, ADF Holdings, which he said only existed on paper
and the sole
director of ADF Holdings is Renier Human. According to
the CIPC information, Renier Human is not connected to the
respondents.
The address listed for the company is located in
Hermanus in the Western Cape. The visit to this address indicated
that there were
no inhabitants at that address and that it was the
address used by Mr Human. On the other visit to the address, they
found a tenant
who confirmed moving to the place not so long ago.
40.
He later received information that Mr Human left the country in 2019,
meaning that
when the company was registered in 2019, he was no
longer resident in the Republic. ADF Holdings is linked to the first
respondent,
as one of the directors. On the strength of the State's
case, he testified that during investment scheme, the respondents,
through
The Rising Estates, both personally gained profits from the
investors' money that was never paid back. The first respondent was
part of the planning as well as the execution of the day to day
running of the business, and the second respondent was always present
when they made presentations to investors.
41.
In cross-examination, he testified that there was one or two times
when the first
respondent could not report to the police station and
he phoned him to inform that there was a problem at the police
station. However,
Colonel Marais could not produce direct evidence to
support his account.
42.
The lower court, when amending the bail conditions of the respondents
only amended
the prohibition on the respondents' traveling outside
the border of Gauteng and the Republic, and exempted them from
reporting
during their absence from either Gauteng or the Republic.
The further condition which was added was that the respondents cannot
be away from Gauteng for more than ten days, and from the Republic
for more than twenty-five days, and further that the investigating
officer must be informed of their movements before they leave.
43.
The overriding principle in a request for amendment of bail
conditions is whether
it will be in the interests of justice to do so
(see
S v Savoi
2012 (1) SACR 438
(SCA)).
In considering such, the
court ought to exercise its discretion judicially, in the form of a
value judgment, balancing the right
of the accused with that of the
public (see
S v Schietekat
[1999] ZACC 8
;
1999
(2) SACR 51
(CC)).
44.
The fact that the accused has businesses outside the Republic was not
raised for the
first time when an application was brought in terms of
section 63(1) of the CPA. The issue first arose when the first
respondent's
application to be permitted to bail was refused.
However, what I realised is that initially, his businesses were said
to be located
in Hong Kong and Zambia, but as the bail applications
progressed, further businesses were added. Investigations were done
on the
business addresses provided and some of the businesses were
confirmed to exist (even though some only on paper), the Hong Kong
business could not be confirmed. Most of the listed businesses'
offices were found to have been closed and moved to other addresses
which are mainly located in residential areas.
45.
No business was found to exist in Durban and no search was made in
Cape Town, but
elsewhere in the Western Cape, where it was found that
the listed business does not exist, but is registered under Mr Human,
who
was not even linked to the first respondent. There is no evidence
placed before me as to whether the respondents traveled outside
the
borders of the Republic since the amendment of their bail conditions
was effected or whether they contravened such amended
bail
conditions. Further, that it is because of such travel beyond the
borders of the Republic that the finances of the first respondent's
businesses improved.
46.
Despite the fact that it is admitted by the State that the
respondents and more particularly,
the first respondent is a
businessman, the nature of the business conducted is not clear from
the papers. The only evidence adduced
by the respondents is that the
nature of their business require that they physically meet with
clients and this cannot be done
remotely, without indicating in
detail why there is a need for the first respondent in particular, to
physically meet with clients
or travel outside the borders of the
Republic
47.
What also worsens the issue is the fact that the first respondent is
not the sole
director of the companies which are situated outside the
Republic and failed to show on a balance of a probabilities that he
is
the only person authorised to interact with clients or investors
on behalf of the companies. Moreover, he alleges that he is in
the
process of training the second respondent to assess and interact with
clients as they are co-directors in some of the companies
that they
own or have directorship.
48.
The first respondent's concern was with regard to the employees of
his businesses,
however such averment is vague in the sense that it
lacks particularity, as to where these employees are currently,
whether they
are in the Republic or outside, what happened to such
employees when the respondents were prohibited from traveling outside
the
country, whether they lost their employment or not, as a result
of that prohibition.
49.
What was stated in justifying the amendment of bail conditions was
that a restriction
on the respondents' travel abroad has impacted
their business financially. No proof was attached to justify such
financial loss
in the form of financial statements, and the lower
court erred in holding that the bail conditions set will "cripple"
the respondents financially. The onus is on the party on
probabilities to justify the amendment of bail conditions.
50.
The lower court erred in not considering the interests of justice
when amending
the bail conditions of the respondents, as is a
requirement in such an enquiry. What ought to be considered in such
applications
was set out in the matter of
S
v Litman 2021 JDR 3273 (WCC)
at paras 17 to 18, when the
following was stated;
"[17]
It seems to me that when
a
court
is required to amend an accused's bail conditions, the inquiry
resolved itself into the primary consideration whether it is
in the
interest of justice to do so. This is apparent from
a
mere reading of s60(12) that requires
a
court
to attach bail conditions that are in the interest of justice. This
approach was echoed in S v Savoi
2012 (1) SACR 438
(SCA) where the
Supreme Court of Appeal said that the lower court primarily had
consider the interest of justice whether an amendment
of bail
conditions is necessary.
[18]
Ultimately to determine what would be in the interest of justice
requires of this Court to exercise
a
judicial discretion in the form
a
value judgement balancing the right
of the accused with that of the public (S v Schietekat
[1999] ZACC 8
;
1999 (2) SACR
51
(CC) par 46."
51.
Bail conditions serve
"to ensure
that whatever fears the State might have in the release of an accused
person are taken care of'.
The most
significant concern of the State is that the first respondent is a
flight risk and if it happens that he leaves the country
and absconds
and ultimately defaults on his court appearances, it will not be easy
to trace the first respondent and arrest him
for such a default.
52.
There are four basic principles which govern bail conditions in
general, which
are;
52.1.
that a bail condition may not be
contra
bonos mores
(contrary to good
morals) (see
De Jager v
Attorney-General,
Natal
1967 (4) SA 143
(D);
52.2.
bail conditions should neither be vague nor ambiguous (see
S
v Bundler
1973 (1) SA 264
(C)
at
271A);
52.3.
bail conditions must not be
ultra
vires
(conditions outside those
permittedby law may not be inserted) (see
S
v Conradie
1907 TS 455)
and;
52.4.
bail conditions must be practically feasible (see
R
v Fourie
1947 (2)
SA
574 (0)
at 577).
53.
It is not the contention of the State that the amendment of bail
conditions does not
meet any of the basic principles, but only the
fear of the first respondent absconding. I am satisfied that a proper
case was made
on setting aside the amended bail conditions of the
first respondent and no case was made for the setting aside of the
second respondent's
amended bail conditions. On his own admission,
the first respondent indicated that he trained the second respondent
as a co-director
in his companies, so she may interact and assess
their businesses with other stakeholders. As such, she can travel
beyond the borders
of the Republic and perform her duties as a
co-director of the companies and also act on behalf of the first
respondent through
a company resolution. Most of the listed companies
belonging to the first respondent are situated in the province of
Gauteng, as
can be gleaned from the addresses which were investigated
by the investigation team.
ORDER
54.
In the consequence, the following order is made:
1.
The appeal by the State to set aside the release on bail of the first
respondent on
bail on new facts is hereby refused.
2.
The appeal by the State against the setting aside of the amended bail
conditions of
the first respondent is upheld and the following order
will remain in place;
2.1.
that the first respondent is not to leave the province of Gauteng and
must reside at his place of residence, the address
of which was
provided to the State as [....] E[....], S[....], Sandton, until the
matter is finalised;
2.2.
that the first respondent is prohibited from traveling outside the
borders of the Republic until the trial matter is
finalised;
2.3.
that the first respondent is prohibited from applying for or
obtaining any travel documents until the matter is finalised;
2.4.
that the first respondent must report to Sandton Police Station every
Monday and Friday, between 06h00 and 18h00, until
the matter is
finalised;
2.5.
that the first respondent must surrender the original title deed to
his property situated at [....] E[....], S[....],
Sandton, which is
valued at R25 million, to the National Prosecuting Authority, Asset
Forfeiture Unit, at VGM Building in Silverton
for safekeeping until
the matter is finalised;
2.6.
that the first respondent is prohibited, together with the second
respondent, from applying for a new title deed or disposing
of the
property situated at [....] E[....], S[....], Sandton, in any manner
until the matter is finalised.
3.
The appeal by the State against setting aside the amended bail
conditions of the second
respondent, except for the condition that
she may not dispose of the property situated at [....] E[....],
S[....], Sandton, until
the matter is finalised, is hereby refused.
MJ
MOSOPA
# JUDGE
OF THE HIGH
JUDGE
OF THE HIGH
# COURT,
PRETORIA
COURT,
PRETORIA
Appearances
:
For
the applicant:
Adv
A Mosing
Adv
D Rosenblatt
Instructed
by:
The
DPP
For
the respondent:
Adv
MM
Instructed
by:
Hlatshwayo
Mabuza Attorneys
Date
of hearing:
15
July 2022
Date
of judgment:
Electronically
delivered
sino noindex
make_database footer start
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