The man arrested for allegedly trying to swindle convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius out of R250,000 requested medical attention during his first appearance in a Pretoria court on Tuesday.
Tshifhiwa Reuben Radzhadzi, 33, covering his head throughout the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court appearance, told the court that he had kidney-related ailments and did not have medication.
Radzhadzi faces a charge of corruption and a possible additional charge of extortion. Prosecutor Willem van Zyl requested that the matter be postponed as police needed to ascertain whether Radzhadzi had outstanding cases before the bail application phase started.
Postponing the matter to Thursday, Magistrate Nicca Setshogoe endorsed that Radzhadzi receive medical care in the meantime.
Radzhadzi allegedly called Pistorius, claiming to be a National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) official and is alleged to have said “prosecutor Gerrie Nel is in his team”. The State alleges he told the disgraced former paralympian that for R250,000, he could make his case disappear.
Pistorius agreed to pay a deposit of R40,000 and then contacted the police. A trap was set and the impostor was arrested by the Hawks in Pretoria on Friday, March 18, near the High Court.
On Tuesday, Van Zyl told the court that Radzhadzi did not work at the NPA. Pistorius was not present during the court case.
Radzhadzi was arrested on Friday, immediately after accepting the R40,000 deposit in person from an unnamed source.
Pistorius will be back in the high court on April 18 to be sentenced for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
He is facing a possible 15 years in prison for the 2013 Valentine’s Day murder at his posh Pretoria East home.
Judge Thokozile Masipa initially found him guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced him to five years. The sentence was changed to murder by the Supreme Court of Appeal, after which the Constitutional Court turned down Pistorius’ appeal.
Pistorius spent almost a year in the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre before being released to serve the remainder of his earlier sentence under house arrest.
– African News Agency (ANA)
