Mpuma Hawks boss on trial next year

The trial of Mpumalanga's Hawks boss Maj-Gen Simon Mapiane was postponed until February 13 by the Nelspruit Regional Court on Wednesday.

 

The court heard that he still had to make some representations before trial, a Sapa correspondent reported.

 

Mapiane, who was in charge of the investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption involving Kaizer Chiefs' boss Bobby Motaung, was arrested on May 22 for allegedly falsifying travelling claims.

 

His trial was initially scheduled to start on September 25.

 

Mapiane has not been asked to plead yet, and is out on bail of R1000.

 

Previously, provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Thulani Ntobela denied rumours of a fall-out between him and Mapiane, which led to Mapiane taking over the Motaung investigation after little progress had been made in 2007.

 

"As far as I know, Maj-Gen Mapiane and I are not enemies," he said at the time.

 

"We work together and, at some point, people may interpret this their own way, especially if I'm harder when I want work done. I do this to everyone at work."

 

-Sapa