Thuthuke Exton Hlophe, the son of Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe, is to go on trial next month on fraud charges by way of plea-bargain proceedings.
Defence attorney Zaheer Ismail told the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Monday that plea-bargain negotiations were under way.
This was the second appearance of Hlophe Jnr (26) since his arrest in March and subsequent brief appearances in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.
At his first appearance in August, in the commercial crime court, he faced six counts, involving fraud and uttering.
At Monday’s proceedings, prosecutor Sylvan Africa said similar charges pending in the Wynberg (Cape) Regional Court had been consolidated with those in the commercial court.
Magistrate Amrith Chabillal postponed the matter to November 5 for the completion of the negotiations.
No details of the additional charges were available on the court record on Monday.
The preamble to the original charge sheet detailed only the first six counts.
It told of a close corporation that Hlophe Jnr had launched, in the name of Changing Addresses, which traded as Moving Addresses.
It alleged that he unlawfully obtained an identity document in the name of Linda Ntombele, and that he replaced her photograph on it with his own.
This false identity document was apparently used to open FNB and Absa bank accounts.
Hlophe Jnr allegedly bought a black BMW 330i from Hendrik van den Berg for R400 000, and paid with post-dated cheques that were dishonoured.
According to the preamble, this car was in an accident while in Hlophe Jnr’s possession, and he took it to Auric BMW in Claremont for repairs costing R19 208 — which he was unable to pay. — Sapa