By Iavan Pijoos.
Former Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa has filed representations in a bid to have corruption charges against him dropped, the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, heard on Thursday.
Kodwa’s lawyer, Zola Majavu, said that the bulk of the representations he had made to the Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on his client’s behalf pointed to “shortcomings” in the State’s case.
“The prejudice against my client mounts every day. I want the court to record that I submitted those submissions, and I have shared them with everyone involved in this matter,” Majavu told the court.
The development comes after Kodwa’s co-accused, former EOH executive Jehan Mackay, made similar representations.
The court heard on Thursday that the DPP needed more time to decide on their submissions.
“I was informed yesterday (Wednesday) that we can expect a decision within two weeks,” Mackay’s legal counsel, Ian Small-Smith, told the court.
The parties checked the central diary for the first day within three weeks that all of them are available.
Kodwa and Mackay face corruption charges related to allegations that Kodwa received direct payments and luxury accommodation worth R1.6 million during his time as ANC’s national spokesperson between 2015 and 2016.
The first payment, of R1 million, and the last, of R30 000, were allegedly made to Kodwa in February 2016.
After court on Thursday, Majavu voiced strong objections to the charges against Kodwa.
He said he had reviewed the extensive docket, comprising 1 351 pages, but was left with “more questions than answers”.
“I read them all. I then made a request for further particulars and posed certain questions to the State, and from the answers they gave me, I was more than determined to go ahead because it became very clear that there were more questions than answers.
“Based on that, I was then fortified to make representations to the effect that the charges against him must be withdrawn,” Majavu said.
When asked if he believed his client was subjected to a “witch hunt”, Majavu said the evidence against Kodwa was weak.
“All I can tell you with a straight face is that having read the docket as provided to me by the State, having read the charge sheet and the information that they are hoping to substantiate the charges on, their case is palpably weak,” he said.
The case was postponed to 24 October.