Bushiris to know their fate on Wednesday

They are facing charges of theft, fraud and money laundering related to an investment scheme.

The Bushiris and their co-accused appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday after spending over a week at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre.

Accused number 1 Willah Mudolo, who owns Rising Estate, the company that the state alleges was used in the investment scheme, has provisionally abandoned his bail application.

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The state alleged that the Bushiris have debt amounting to over R200 million and have attached one of the biggest assets, Sparkling Waters Hotel & Spa, situated in the North West as security.

The state prosecutor told the court they believe this could assist the Bushiris to flee the country, as they are multimillionaires who have resources to get fraudulent documents and skip the country.

Their defense lawyer, Advocate Annalien van den Heever, accused the state of speculating without evidence, stating that the Bushiris have embarked on a process to settle their debt.

Van den Heever also pointed out that the Bushiris knew that the matter was being investigated as far back as 2019 and have not tried to flee the country.

She maintained that the state's case is weak, stating that there is no detail on the charge sheet pointing to when the fraud, money laundering and theft took place or the identity of the complainants.