Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba will go on trial for alleged fraud and perjury on August 19 in the Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria, a court official said.

Jiba will have to answer to allegations of fraud and perjury believed to stem from her failed bid to lay racketeering charges against former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major General Johan Booysen.

In February last year, KwaZulu-Natal High Court Judge Trevor Gorven set aside the charges, saying they did not even meet minimum standards.

In March this year, Jiba allegedly refused to accept a summons for her to appear in court.

She eventually appeared on April 21, but her advocate, Zola Majavu, reportedly told the court there were serious irregularities related to the summons and that the investigating officer, Major General Norman Taioe, told him the investigation was not complete.

Prosecutor Jan Ferreirra reportedly claimed that a Colonel Marthinus “Boats” Botha was the investigating officer. In May, the SA Police Service said it had terminated Botha’s contract.

‘Secret meetings’

National Police spokesperson Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale said at the time that Botha, who was a senior detective in the case against Jiba, had met secretly with NPA officials to take instructions from them.

“After obtaining information about the unauthorised and irregular involvement of Colonel Botha in the issuance summons against Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba… we requested him to provide a statement about his role,” Makgale said at the time.

“It was clear from the statement he provided that he secretly met with NPA officials to discuss the case and took instructions from them about issuance of the summons without informing the investigating officer and his commander, Major General Norman Taioe.”

Makgale said police management was disappointed that Botha “conducted himself in an unprofessional manner”.

“Throughout these meetings, Colonel Botha was aware that Major General Taioe was the investigating officer in the case and his commander, but he chose to disregard General Taioe and kept him in the dark about his meetings with the NPA and the resultant outcome from these discussions that a summons be served against Advocate Jiba.” News24