 (1).png){kind=spacer}
2 weeks ago
11
Businessman Edwin Sodi. (Mlungisi Louw/Gallo Images)
- Edwin Sodi reached an out of court settlement with his ex-wife Nthateng Lerata, and a male friend, Faizal Motlekar.
- He tried to shoot Lerata before his gun jammed.
- He instead hit Motlekar with the weapon over the head.
The attempted murder and assault case against controversial businessman Edwin Sodi has been struck from the court roll.
Sodi was charged in connection with a March 2022 incident at his Bryanston home involving his estranged wife, Nthateng Lerata, and a male friend of hers, Faizal Motlekar.
Sodi had allegedly tried to shoot Lerata before his firearm jammed and then allegedly hit Motlekar over the head with it.
The case came before the Randburg Magistrate's Court on Thursday for what was supposed to be the start of the trial, but it wound up being struck from the roll after the court heard the parties had reached a settlement agreement, and neither Lerata nor Motlekar wanted to pursue the case any longer.
Proceedings kicked off with public prosecutor Dinesh Nandkissor reading into the record a statement from the investigating officer, in which he said Lerata had advised him that she submitted a statement of withdrawal and "would not be attending any further court appearances".
The investigating officer said Lerata had nonetheless agreed to come to his office for a meeting earlier this month, but had then missed the appointment and that he had subsequently made attempts to visit her and contact her telephonically, but to no avail.
He said when he had visited the address she had provided, he was met by a man "who refused to identify himself", but advised that the home was being occupied by Sodi. He was told that Lerata no longer stayed there.
Calls to the phone number she had provided, meanwhile, had gone unanswered.
When it came to Motlekar, the investigating officer said he had not been able to get hold of him on the number he had provided either. Nandkissor, however, told the court that he had spoken with Motlekar on Wednesday.
READ | Tshwane wastewater scandal: Edwin Sodi's company still not blacklisted
"He had advised that the investigating officer would have had difficulty in tracing him as his phone number has changed," the prosecutor said.
"But he called to advise, unfortunately, he is not available for court this morning as he's attending to a family emergency in the Northern Cape."
Initially, Nandkissor said he had not been able to establish whether Motlekar wanted to pursue the case and requested another postponement for trial.
Advocate Laurence Hodes SC - for Sodi - objected to this, though.
It turned out that a settlement agreement had been reached - the details of which were not disclosed in court - and that Motlekar, too, had filed a statement of withdrawal. Hodes argued that "it would seem these complainants have no intention to proceed to trial" and, ultimately, that a postponement should not be granted against this backdrop.
Nandkissor told the court that the late deputy national director of public prosecutions, Rodney De Kock, had decided to continue with the case despite Lerata and Motlekar's positions, because of the serious nature of the offences in question.
In a letter explaining his stance, which was read into the record by Nandkissor, De Kock had said further that the case included "an element of gender-based [violence] that is prevalent in the country which requires the courts to send a very strong message that such conduct is shunned upon".
Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe ultimately decided to adjourn for Nandkissor to contact Motlekar and establish his current position. And when proceedings resumed, Nandkissor was able to confirm that, indeed, he no longer wanted to continue with the matter.
As a result, Mkhasibe struck it from the roll.
Speaking afterwards, Sodi - who is also an accused alongside former Free State premier Ace Magashule in a graft case in that province centering on a dodgy R255-million asbestos removal tender - said he was relieved as it had been a stressful experience.
"I've been coming to court for the past three years. I've been here 22, 23 times. So you can imagine how costly it is and the time."
He labelled the allegations against him as "nonsense".
"I've got other issues to focus on, I've got serious matters to deal with," Sodi said.
