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A former Zimbabwean attorney’s battle for bail continues in the East London magistrates court over his alleged misappropriation of Road Accident Fund (RAF) claims meant for his clients.
The investigating officer was in the spotlight on Thursday when the defense alleged Warrant Officer Siphokazi Majiza was “excited” to arrest 52-year-old Manfred Chinamasa without “conducting a thorough investigation.”
He currently faces five counts of theft and fraud, after some of his clients reportedly never received any of their RAF payouts.
Advocate Dumisani Skoti says Majiza misled the court to believe she was not furnished with the passport of one of the victims after she stated Dr. Jane Francis was a Zimbabwean instead of from Cameroon.
She also gave an incorrect age for Dr Franscis's daughter, whom she was claiming on behalf of at the time.
Skoti added that the amounts allegedly owed by Chinamasa were incorrect – as they failed to account for the up to 25% in attorney fees he would have charged his clients.
The payout by RAF to Dr Franscis’s daughter amounted to over R2.2 million, and Majiza stood firm that his clients got none of the millions of rands deposited into his four trust accounts where he was the sole signatory.
She also emphasized that the disgraced attorney would evade trial if granted bail.
State Prosecutor, Advocate Siphamandla Ngxokolo had led evidence that revealed that Chinamasa’s Beacon Bay is currently up for sale and was empty on the day of his arrest by the Hawks on 7 February.
Chinamasa was suspended by the Legal Practice Council in 2021 and finally struck off the roll 2 years later.
His bail application continues on Friday.
