A former municipal employee charged with extortion has turned the tables on her accuser.
A former municipal employee charged with extortion has turned the tables on her accuser.
Former manager in the Town Planning and Estates directorate, Zukiswa Pearl Mkuzo, claims that a signature in a document presented by the legal team of her accuser, Grahamstown resident, Mark Pote, was forged.
Mkuzo pleaded not guilty to corruption charges at the Grahamstown Regional Court on Wednesday. She has not yet been called to testify in the case.
The first state witness to take the stand, Pote described to the court how he first came into contact with Mkuzo about two months after he had submitted building plans to the municipality.
The case was opened with Grahamstown police on 9 November, 2012.
Pote opened the case after he had applied to purchase land on 15 March 2011, but heard nothing about the matter until he made a follow-up visit to the municipality.
He described to the court how he first came into contact with Mkuzo about two months after he had submitted building plans to the municipality.
On 29 March 2011 the municipality sent Pote a letter acknowledging receipt of the plans, indicating that they had been circulated to the internal and external departments.
Pote said he waited two months after he submitted the plans.
Shortly afterwards he went to the municipal offices, where he met a woman who told him that it was unlikely that the plans would be approved because there was a land audit under way at the time.
Pote told the court that he got a call from the municipality asking him to collect a different set of plans.
It was during this time that Pote met Mkuzo and she told him that there was still an ongoing land audit.
At this stage Pote had started to get desperate.
He alleges that Mkuzo set up a meeting at Pote's home, where she would come with another municipal employee.
On the morning of 22 October 2012, Mkuzo allegedly tried to get hold of the second employee, without success, and eventually went to do the inspection alone.
After continued interaction between Pote and Mkuzo about the plans, the former says she then asked him for a favour.
Pote told the court that as he and Mkuzo were driving back to the municipality, Mkuzo asked him to loan her R20 000 in return for expediting his plans and making sure they were approved.
Pote decided to speak to Makana Finance and Corporate Services portfolio committee chairperson, Pierre Ranchhod, about the issue.
According to Pote, Ranchhod immediately scheduled a meeting between himself, Pote, Executive Mayor, Zamuxolo Peter and a third man whom he could not remember.
After explaining what happened, he said he was asked to get Mkuzo to put what she was asking him in writing.
When she arrived at Pote's home she told Pote that she did not have her laptop with her.
She then allegedly drafted notes of important things she needed to be in the letter, after Pote volunteered to type the letter himself.
The letter contained her full names, ID number and repayment terms of the loan, and the last part at the bottom read: "If you help me with the loan I will expedite your plans," a statement that was refuted by Mkuzo's lawyer, George Malgas.
Malgas said the contents of the letter were not in dispute except for the last part about expediting plans.
Pote confirmed in court that he had asked Mkuzo to sign two letters, which had the same content. He also admitted that the two signatures on the letter did look a bit different.
After being shown the letter, Mkuzo confirmed that it was not her signature in the letter.
State prosecutor Noluvuyo Tembeni-Nondze asked Pote if he had known Mkuzo before the incident and if he has any reason to falsely accuse her in the case.
Pote told the court that he had never met Mkuzo before the incident, adding that he has no reason to falsely implicate Mkuzo in the case.
He said there was no bad blood between him and Mkuzo, adding that he did not expect the case to go as far as it did.
"I thought it would be handled internally," he said.
Malgas asked for a postponement saying he had to rush to a meeting in Port Elizabeth.
Magistrate, Ronnie Lesele, postponed the case to 26 August pending further evidence.
Lesele warned Pote not to discuss the case with anyone, as he was still under oath.
