By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The corruption case against former African National Congress (ANC) national spokesperson Pule Mabe and co-accused has been postponed to July 7, 2025.
Mabe (44), his wife Mmatlhekelo Elsie Mabe (46), Loyiso Mkwana (51), Thandeka Mbassa (59), Matilda Gasela (65), Abdullah Mohamed Ismail (50), and Mabe’s business associate Tinyiko Mahuntsi (46) appeared at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
All the accused are facing counts of fraud, theft, and contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA).
All seven accused are currently out on R30 000 bail each.
Additionally charged in this case are Mabe’s companies, Star Mass Direct (formerly known as Kariki Media Holdings) and KGP Media Holdings (formerly known as Enviro Mobi and later as Groen Mintirho).
The charges against Mabe and his co-accused stem from allegations of corruption, fraud, and theft linked to a R27 million tender.
The contract was awarded to Mabe’s company, Enviro-Mobi, by the Gauteng Agriculture and Rural Development Department in 2017.
The tender was meant to supply 200 three-wheeler vehicles for waste pickers employed by the City of Ekurhuleni.
The matter had previously been postponed in March to allow the defence more time to review the docket, which contains 3 580 pages, before setting a pre-trial date.
During today’s proceedings, state prosecutor Magdaline Montwedi-Mclean confirmed that all the requested documents had been provided to the defence – except for the final charge sheet.
“The state has since furnished all the accused with the charge sheet that was furnished with the copies of the docket. That was the state’s first draft of the charge sheet.
The state is still in the process of finalising the charge sheet and would like to give this charge sheet to the legal representatives before the next date, which we have arranged,” she said.
The prosecutor requested the court to grant another postponement to finalise this process. She confirmed that the final charge sheet would be provided by 30 June.
The magistrate granted the postponement to 7 July for a trial date to be set.
Addressing the media outside court lawyer Zola Majavu, flanked by Mabe, emphasised that he was prepared to move forward with the trial, attributing the latest postponement to “gaps” and “inconsistencies” in the docket.
“There are obvious errors, and this is why today you had the state say they are asking for a postponement to amend the charge sheet or to give us some other version.”
He highlighted that his clients were frustrated by what he described as “unnecessary delays”. “That is the frustrating part, because every time I come to court, my services don’t come cheap.
“There’s emotional trauma that my clients are subjected to, whether they’ll be found guilty or not guilty, we need to get going, “Majavu said.
In November 2024, the SIU requested a preservation order from the Special Tribunal against Groen Mintirho (formerly Enviro Mobi), a company connected to Mabe, in relation to purported procurement irregularities involving the department and the City of Ekurhuleni.
The SIU’s order prohibits Mabe from leasing, selling, transferring, or otherwise dealing with certain assets that he owns, such as a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS luxury car and an immovable property in Steyn City, Gauteng.