Johannesburg - The trial of a former employee of DJ Zinhle was delayed in the Hatfield Magistrate’s Court yesterday after the defence counsel of the accused could not appear in court due to ill health.
The 23-year-old Thabile Malatjie was due to appear in court to face charges of theft after her bid to resolve the matter through mediation to avert prosecution fell through during her previous appearances.
Malatjie, who was formerly employed at DJ Zinhle's Era store in Menlyn, Tshwane, is accused of stealing thousands of rand worth of products from the store.
According to previous reports, DJ Zinhle, whose real name is Ntombezinhle Jiyane, started becoming suspicious of her former employee after she started noticing that the business was not running well profit-wise.
It was then that she decided to set a trap to catch the suspected worker.
DJ Zinhle allegedly went to the store with her friends and bought some items; however, when she later returned to the store and asked to see the money for the day, Malatjie failed to produce it.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Malatjie was subsequently arrested on January 12, after which the police went to her home and found stock on her property.
She was able to obtain her release on bail of R5 000 with the trial due to start yesterday.
The authority's Lumka Mahanjana, however, reported that the matter could not proceed and was stood down for a later date as the legal counsel for the accused indicated that he was “not well”.
The trial was postponed to September 13 due to the unavailability of the attorney.
The Star