The Citizen reports that the trial against two former high-ranking officials of Collins Chabane Local Municipality implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal has been postponed to next week.

Charlotte Ngobeni and Eddie Makamu were due to have their trial start on Thursday in the Palm Ridge Commercial Crimes Court, but the matter was delayed to allow the defence to get outstanding documents related to the case. Ngobeni is a former municipal manager at the Limpopo-based municipality while Eddie Makamu was the chief financial officer. Ngobeni and Makamu face two counts each of contravention of the Municipal Financial Management Act, while Ngobeni faces four other counts of corruption. The former municipal officials are accused of investing R120 million in October 2017 into the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank. A 2018 forensic investigation report into the affairs of VBS Mutual Bank revealed large-scale looting and recommended that the bank’s former executives and government officials who invested in the institution should face criminal charges and be held liable in civil proceedings. At least 20 municipalities in Limpopo, North West and Gauteng, lost nearly R1.6 billion, after illegally investing with the bank.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard compiled by Thapelo Lekabeat The Citizen

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