The drug-trafficking trial of Sheryl Cwele, wife of State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, and her Nigerian co-accused will begin on October 11, the Pietermaritzburg High Court heard on Friday.
Family trips show a very married Mr and Mrs Cwele
Cwele and Frank Nabolisa face three drug-trafficking-related charges.
The minister’s wife is out on R100Â 000 bail while Nabolisa filed his bail application papers on Friday. Nabolisa’s bail hearing will take place on February 25, the court heard.
Nabolisa arrived at the court on Friday heavily guarded by four police officers and shackled in foot chains.
Cwele was also in court, and the court ruled she would not have to attend the whole of Nabolisa’s bail hearing.
A visibly relaxed Cwele was accompanied by friends and relatives.
Nabolisa was the first to sit in the dock and he smiled when Cwele joined him, but she did not smile back. They did not greet each other.
Three of Nabolisa’s relatives were in court.
Cwele and Nabolisa face charges of dealing or conspiring to deal in drugs; procuring a woman called Charmaine Moss to collect drugs in Turkey; and procuring another woman, Tessa Beetge, to smuggle 9kg of cocaine from South America.
Brazilian police arrested Beetge in São Paulo, Brazil on June 13 2008.
They found 9,2kg of cocaine concealed in her baggage. She is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence in São Paulo for drug-trafficking.
Nabolisa, who was arrested in December on different charges, and briefly appeared in a Johannesburg court immediately after his arrest.
Friday was his first court appearance in connection with the international drug syndicate case involving Cwele.
He will plead not guilty to all the charges, the court heard.
“I intend pleading not guilty to the charges against me and deny that I wrongfully committed any acts in the commission or furtherance of a crime,” said Nabolisa in his bail application papers. — Sapa