The sister of Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma appeared briefly in the Durban Regional Court on Monday after allegedly embezzling R3,5 million from a rural women's organisation.
Hlobisile Ngxongo was not asked to plead and the case was postponed when her co-accused, including her husband Sipho Ngxongo and local business executives Mphondi Siyaya and Khetwe Mdlalose, requested a postponement to arrange proper legal representation.
The group received a tongue-lashing from Magistrate K Pillay last week when the court had to postpone the case after a similar request.
Pillay said at the time that the court would have forced them to conduct their own defence if the case had not been so complex.
All four are accused of embezzling R3,5 million from the Health Department's rural feeding self-help scheme.
Ngxongo allegedly used her Maputaland Women's Organisation, based in the Zululand town of Jozini, to channel the money into private bank accounts.
Some of the funds were also allegedly fraudulently paid to Siyaya after the Health Department was told that he had delivered goods for the scheme. The state alleges that no goods were delivered.
The fraud allegedly took place between March 1996 and February 1998. The accused were ordered to appear in court on October 4. - African
Eye News Service.