The fraud case against television personality Bonang Matheba was postponed on Thursday at the specialised commercial crimes court due to her being out of the country, and a bench warrant has subsequently been issued.
State prosecutor Duduzile Robertse said Matheba was served on September 10 and she only received the invite to the United States on September 17.
Robertse said the bench warrant was held over and would be effective on the morning of October 4, meaning should Matheba not be in court on that day, she would be arrested.
Matheba is being charged for taxes outstanding from 2008-2017 for personal tax, and company tax from 2014-2017. The amount has not been disclosed.
Matheba’s parents were present in court.
Earlier, defence representative Charl Coetzee said Matheba was in New York at a United Nations event and that she would be appearing at a Global Citizen event on September 29.
He told the court that Matheba would definitely be in court on October 4. He said that when she was summoned on September 10, she was in New York for New York Fashion Week.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonodwane said: “A bench warrant means a warrant of arrest has been issued but in this matter, it has been held over till 4th October due to the fact that the summons were not served to Ms Matheba personally. If she fails to appear on the 4th, the warrant will be effective. She is not special and will not receive any special treatment.”
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