INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

A Gauteng Hawks member arrests a man in Braamfontein, Joburg, after he had just written off about R346 000 in arrears owed to the council by a single account holder on two accounts. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee

The man caught in a sting operation by The Star, the City of Joburg and the Gauteng Hawks – when he offered to write off council arrears of R350 000 – has five other cases pending against him for taking bribes to write off arrears.

Lucas Malibongwe Cele Cele appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where he was denied bail.

During proceedings, it emerged that there are five other cases pending against him for taking bribes to write off arrears, which were discovered after the sting operation.

Police claim he pocketed R500 000 in bribes in total.

It was also revealed that there are two deportation orders against him – the last being in 2005, when he was sent back to Mozambique. He allegedly returned to SA illegally.

And in a bizarre twist, his lawyer denied that Cele had taken the money – R20 000 – and that he was simply sitting in a restaurant having a cold drink with two people when he was arrested “for nothing”.

Regarding the other five pending charges, he claims they do not relate to Cele, even though they were brought only after his recent arrest.

The lawyer also claims that his client cannot remember ever being deported.

The court refused him bail, saying that if it was him, he was in the country illegally and could be arrested on that charge. It ordered that a fingerprint expert be brought in to compare the fingerprints on the five pending cases with the most recent one.

It also ordered that all the cases be joined together as they relate to the same matter.

Regarding the latest incident in which he was arrested, Cele’s lawyer argued that the charge should not be corruption and extortion, saying that, at best, it should be impersonating a council employee,

The magistrate argued that if he threatened to disconnect services to residents while pretending to be a council employee, it could be extortion. - The Star

Read about changes to IOL’s article comments