Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

An SA National Defence Force clerk accused of defrauding her employer of R1.1 million had her case postponed in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Pretoria on Thursday.

The case against Zelda Wolmarans and co-accused Shona Haydenrych was postponed to July 16 as Haydenrych's attorney was not available.

The attorney, from a private firm, had joined the Legal Aid Board and therefore could not continue with the case.

The new attorney was only appointed on Wednesday and was not available on Thursday.

Wolmarans, 44, residing in Clubview, was employed to capture information on the department of defence's payroll of army reserve members being called up for courses or training.

She is accused of falsely recording that some part-time reserve force members were called up, and then claiming money for these fictitious attendees from the SANDF's salary system.

According to the charge sheet, she had this money paid into her own bank count and that of her children and stepchildren.

She was arrested in April 2006 and released on bail of R20,000.

Soon afterwards her children, Chrizelle and Pieter Jacobus Stephanus van Vuuren and her three stepchildren, Dirk Jacobus, Maria Fransina and Christina Johanna, all Wolmarans, were arrested as the state alleged they all acted with a common purpose with Wolmarans. They were granted bail of R5000 each.

In September that year Anna Marie Leona Rudman, Louis Johannes Fourie and Shona Haydenrych were also arrested.

Earlier this year Wolmarans and Haydenrych, 54, of Valhalla, started plea negotiations with the state. Charges were then withdrawn against the other accused.

However, the negotiations between the remaining two accused and the state were unsuccessful.

A trial date was expected to be set when the two appeared in court again on July 16.