Investigations by IDAC has led to Chetty being charged in other matters involving millions within the Saps.
After almost three years of legal challenges, the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in Palmridge has ruled that businessman Kishene Chetty and his co-accused will have to stand trial, saying it would not be in the “interests of justice” to delay the matter further.
Chetty and his co-accused appeared in court on Tuesday.
Fraud, corruption, forgery and theft charges
Chetty and his co-accused are facing charges linked to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) fraud, corruption, forgery and theft relating to payments of legal fees to a firm of attorneys intended to benefit those who were members of the South African Police Service (Saps) at the time when they were arrested.
They were also arrested for a separate corruption case that is sitting at the Pretoria High Court.
Proceeds of unlawfully awarded PPE contracts valued at approximately R8 million to companies linked to Chetty were allegedly used to pay for gratifications
Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), said the court ruled in favour of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) IDAC for trial to commence on 14 November 2025.
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Delays
Mamothame said the state prosecutor strongly argued for the matter not to be delayed any further.
“This ruling follows an application by Chetty and some of the co-accused to have the matter postponed pending the outcome of a review application, which they intend [to file] with the High Court.
“This intended review application is subsequent to the high court striking their application to have all their criminal cases wherein they are facing corruption charges to be combined,” Mamothame said.
Chetty and his accused wanted the charges consolidated, arguing that the charges in all the cases were similar.
Blow after applicatio
However, they were dealt a significant blow after their application to consolidate several cases of fraud, forgery, money laundering, and other charges of dishonesty was struck off the roll with costs.
Mamothame added that the magistrate ruled that it would not be in the interest of justice to delay the trial on a matter that has been on the court roll for over three years.
“She further indicated that the review application and the trial can run parallel, without imposing any prejudice to some of the accused who are ready to proceed with trial as the state is.”
Chetty, together with some of the accused, is facing other criminal charges in four other cases relating to the irregular awarding of contracts within the Saps.
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Other Saps matters
Investigations by IDAC have led to Chetty being charged in other matters involving millions within the Saps.
This relates to the procurement of toners for Saps in the Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape provinces between 2015 and 2016, resulting in a loss of more than R800 000 to the police.
The companies involved in the matter are Bambanani Marketing and Projects, Baroma Construction and Office Consumables, Super Stationery Distributors, Sifikile Furniture and Projects and Vatika and Projects.
Millions in fraud
Chetty and his co-accused are also facing 456 charges, including racketeering, fraud, corruption, theft, forgery and money laundering.
Among the accused are police officials who allegedly participated in the fraudulent tender process, as well as 22 companies and their directors.
The former head of police supply chain management, Lieutenant General Ramahlapi Mokwena and three brigadiers are also among the accused in this matter.
The matter stems from another R56 million tender fraud case, in which procurement documents were allegedly tampered with in a tender for the branding of police vehicles.
Falsified quotations were allegedly provided to the South African Police Service.
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