A state witness from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) who failed to show up at court delayed the trial proceedings against a commander at the SAPS Benoni Academy.

The witness had to testify on Thursday, however, he was unavailable.

The commander stands accused of allegedly cheating on a learner’s licence test.

He faces three charges of fraud, the unauthorised issuing of a learner driver’s licence and issuing a learner driver’s licence to a non-member of a state department.

During proceedings, the accused’s attorney expressed concern that the matter had been dragging on for days and said this was causing them inconvenience.

He pleaded with the court not to postpone the matter but to hear another witness, adding the state witness failed to respect the court processes.

The state prosecutor said the witness should finalise his evidence first before the court could proceed with new evidence.

The matter was adjourned to tomorrow, and the prosecutor indicated that if the state witness did not show up in court tomorrow, the state would take a decision.

According to a court record, the accused allegedly unlawfully instructed an examiner, a subordinate to him, to take a blank test paper, write the correct answers on it, mark the test and file it as a test he had completed.

Between September 2017 and January 2019, the accused also allegedly instructed certain academy members to issue a learner driver’s licence in the same manner to another person who was not a member of the SAPS but the son of a SAPS general.