Pretoria - Dudu Myeni has been threatened with arrest after she failed to appear at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where she stands accused of revealing the identity of a protected witness during her testimony at the Zondo Commission, in 2020.
Her lawyer told the court that she was absent due to a medical condition.
However, a warrant of arrest was issued against Myeni for her failure to appear in court, but will be on hold and only effected if she fails to arrive in court on her next appearance, on June 14, 2022.
Myeni is charged with obstructing the administration of justice, after she revealed the identity of a protected witness known as Mr X despite a strict order from commission chairperson Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, indicating that the name should be withheld.
“On November 5, 2020, after being informed that the identity of Mr X was not to be disclosed, Myeni proceeded to mention the name of Mr X, on four successive occasions,” said NPA regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.
Mjonondwane said the NPA is convinced that Myeni “has a case to answer to” and that she deliberately disobeyed the order made by the chairperson of the Commission into State Capture, during its sitting in Johannesburg.
In March, Myeni, who was the former board chairperson at SAA, made a brief appearance in court, where she lodged representations to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Gauteng, in a bid to wriggle out of the charge.
Her representations regarding the matter have been unsuccessful, allowing the case to continue.
“The State is quite eager to proceed with this trial and such delays, whether inadvertent or genuine, cause unreasonable delays in the course of justice, especially in state capture-related cases, where there is utmost urgency to see justice served,” Mjonondwane said in a statement.
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