Gwamanda fraud charges provisionally withdrawn
Fraud charges against former Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda and his co-accused were provisionally withdrawn on Tuesday.
The duo briefly appeared before the Protea North Magistrate’s Court.
They were accused of defrauding Soweto residents in a funeral policy scheme that ran between 2011 and 2012 through his then-company, Ithemba lama Afrika.
Speaking to the media outside court, Gwamanda said he had suffered immense reputational damage since the start of court proceedings.
“I've been removed from an executive position, prevented an opportunity to serve my communities, and tried by all means to discredit the political party that gave me an opportunity to be able to contribute to society.
"What has happened now, it demonstrates that even the manner in which the arrest was enforced, which is one of the questions that my attorney had posed to the court itself, to say, when was the warrant of arrest issued and who signed it, and on which basis was the warrant of arrest signed, where else they are unable to come up with a charge sheet that alleges the fact that I'm accused of fraud, but overall, I'm looking forward to what's coming next."
Gwamanda was arrested in October last year alongside his business partner after he handed himself over to police.
Gwamanda has maintained his innocence, saying the fraud charges against him are malicious and politically motivated.
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