Members protesting outside the Palmridge magistrate court where their leader Michael Sandlana was appearing. Picture: Siyabonga Sithole.
Johannesburg - Members of the United African Transformation protested outside Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning.
This was while International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) Jerusalem faction leader Michael Sandlana appeared on charges of corruption after his wife, Benedicta Sandlana, opened a case of corruption against him.
It is not clear why the members of this new party were at the court or who between the two partners they were supporting. But their presence outside court caused quite a stare from onlookers and the general public while the court case was in session.
Last year, fraud allegations were reported to the police by the complainant days after the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court released Sandlana and his co-accused on bail.
His estranged wife opened another fraud case with the Alberton police when she allegedly found out that the ownership of her Mercedes-Benz C-Class W205, which was previously registered in her name, had been changed.
One of the witnesses (Tshepo Phuthi), who was one of the directors of Songo Defence and Investment, told the court how Sandlana’s estranged wife and the complainant in the case allegedly claimed that he had forged a signature in the registration of the Mercedes-Benz belonging to her.
In 2021, six people were arrested in connection with the alleged intricate web of fraudulent activities targeting Sandlana, the estranged wife of a leader of a faction of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church.
In the latest arrest, Tshepo Phuthi, spokesperson for Michael Sandlana, leader of the Jerusalem faction, appeared in court on Monday charged with fraud related to the alleged transfer of ownership of a vehicle belonging to the bishop’s estranged wife to Songo Defence and Investment.
"When I was arrested by the police, one of the officers told me that the complainant had been happy that I had been arrested for this crime. At the time, the complainant was still staying in her marital home with her now estranged husband, and she said she suspected that I had forged the signature that allowed for the change of ownership of the vehicle," the witness said.
Phuthi denied having forged the signature to change the ownership documents, saying he had only signed the documents as a shareholder and proxy on behalf of the company and not in his personal capacity.
"At the time, we went to the licensing department; it was July 9, 2020, and I signed the documents as per my proxy and as one of the shareholders of Singo Investment. I did not do so in my personal capacity but in my capacity as a shareholder. It is also not true that I forged my signature when doing so," Phuthi added.
The case was adjourned until after the tea break due to load shedding.
The Star