Zietta Janse van Rensburg and her former father-in-law, Johan Janse van Rensburg, briefly appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, May 14.

They face charges of fraud, theft and money laundering linked to a R14m land deal that allegedly went awry several years ago.

Magistrate Patrick Morris took less than five minutes to postpone the matter to June 29, and ordered that it be transferred to the Nelspruit Regional Court, where a trial date will be set.

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Zietta and Johan are out on bail of R6 000 and R10 000 respectively.

They were arrested at their homes in Malalane on April 13 by members of the Mpumalanga Hawks following a lengthy investigation.

The State alleges that a businessman paid funds into the trust account of Van Rensburg Attorneys for a Mbombelaproperty development. It is further alleged that Zietta falsified title deeds and other legal documents to mislead the buyer into believing the transfer had been completed, while the funds were allegedly diverted to Johan’s account and those of other individuals. Zietta maintains she was merely an employee at the firm and did not benefit from the transaction.

The pair’s first court appearance took place on the day of their arrest, when a lengthy bail application was heard. Johan was granted R10 000 bail due to ill health, with Magistrate Morris noting that ‘it is obvious to anyone that accused number two is not feeling well.’ The court nevertheless ordered that Johan return for a subsequent appearance.

Zietta was initially remanded in custody and appeared for her bail application on April 14.

The State opposed bail for Zietta, arguing that she was a flight risk. Investigating officer Captain Richard Mandla Mphepheta told the court that she was unreliable, citing her failure to disclose two additional residential addresses.

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Marco Lamberti, Zietta’s attorney, challenged the claims, arguing that the addresses in question belonged to another individual with the same surname and that this had been incorrectly interpreted by the investigating officer. The court subsequently ordered that the addresses be verified.

On April 15, the court heard that the disputed residences did not belong to Zietta. Morris subsequently granted her R6 000 bail, with no additional conditions imposed. Johan was excused from appearing at an earlier court date and was required to return with Zietta on May 14.