Human Settlements Prioritises Improvements to Rural Areas
October 9, 2024
Two Accused Appear in Court for Fraud
October 9, 2024
Timothy Sibuyi (48), a former Mhala Regional Court interpreter, was re-arrested by the Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Corruption Investigation unit, assisted by Mhala local police, on 7th October 2024 for contempt of court. This followed Sibuyi’s failure to appear in court on 23rd September 2024. Initially, Sibuyi was arrested on 18th September 2023 on a warrant issued by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team, facing charges of corruption.
It is alleged that on 17th November 2022, Sibuyi approached the brother of an accused person who had been arrested for rape. He invited him to his office at Mhala Magistrates’ Court, where he offered to arrange legal representation, since the accused was not represented by a Legal Aid attorney. However, Sibuyi demanded a bribe for the service.
When the complainant offered R1000, Sibuyi refused, saying the amount was too little and demanded R2500. The family raised the money, and R2500 was deposited into Sibuyi’s Capitec bank account.
The complainant reported the matter to the police, and the case was transferred to the Hawks for further investigation. Upon learning that a corruption case had been opened, Sibuyi approached the complainant’s mother and returned R2000, promising to pay the remaining balance later.
After a thorough investigation, a warrant for Sibuyi’s arrest was issued and executed on 18th September 2023. He was released on R5000 bail, and the case was postponed to 16th October 2023. During an internal disciplinary hearing, Sibuyi was dismissed from his position. The case was transferred to Nelspruit Regional Court, where he appeared on several occasions. However, on 7th September 2024, he submitted a sick note, and the case was postponed to 23rd September 2024. Sibuyi failed to attend court or send any notice on the rescheduled date.
A warrant for his arrest was authorised and executed on 7th October 2024, and his bail was forfeited to the state. The case is now postponed to 15th October 2024, with Sibuyi remaining in custody.
Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Gerber, applauded the team for pursuing the matter until Sibuyi was brought back to court. He urged the community to come forward if they had similar experiences with the interpreter.
“This is not an isolated incident. Corruption will not stop if we, as citizens, do not report it and say, ‘Enough is enough’!”
In a related case, a Calcutta Court Interpreter, Zizwe Zitha (43), was also arrested in April 2021 for the same crime and modus operandi. His case was transferred to Nelspruit Regional Court and postponed to 19th November 2023. Zitha was also dismissed from service and is expected back in Nelspruit Regional Court on 15th October 2024, facing charges of corruption. Investigations continue.
The Provincial Head concluded by warning officials to serve with integrity: “You are employed to serve your community, not to enrich yourself by exploiting people’s vulnerabilities.”
