NELSON MANDELA BAY: Gary van Niekerk pushing for court date to ‘clear his name’ before November elections

A series of delays, including through his own actions, has left Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk desperate to get his criminal trial under way before the local government elections in November.

A busy court roll might jeopardise the beleaguered Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor’s chances of launching his political campaign from the dock of the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

Appearing in court on Tuesday, Gary van Niekerk was adamant that his trial take place before the local government elections on 4 November, as he wants to use it as a platform to “reveal the truth about corruption” in the city and influence voter opinion about himself.

However, the delays in getting the trial under way were in no small part due to his own actions when his absence from proceedings last year, to attend a conference abroad, impeded the case’s progress.

His mission to Germany, to “create jobs and save lives”, ultimately led to additional proceedings that resulted in his conviction and a fine for being in contempt of court.

Van Niekerk faces charges of cyberfraud and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act related to a legal bill of more than R550,000 that he racked up in 2022, which, according to the State, was fraudulent.

His trial was scheduled to start last month, but Magistrate Khuselwa Majali was booked off sick on the scheduled dates.

When the case returned to court on Tuesday for a trial date to be arranged, Van Niekerk, seated in the dock, became visibly agitated when court officials began discussing possible trial dates in December and early next year.

Several alternative dates were tabled, but all were dismissed as one or more of the parties had scheduling conflicts.

After private discussions with his attorney Danie Gouws, the court briefly adjourned for Gouws and senior state advocate Ken Cooney to discuss alternative arrangements, with Majali in chambers.

Upon returning to court, the prosecution and defence agreed to return to court on 24 July for “narrowing down the issue” leading up to the trial. However, Van Niekerk did not clarify exactly what this would entail.

“My attorney has advised me not to say certain things, but I promise you, I will tell you guys at a later stage,” Van Niekerk told members of the media after court proceedings.

He said the trial needed to begin before the upcoming local government elections as he believed the evidence before the court would prove his innocence and show the people of Nelson Mandela Bay how to vote, as it would reveal who the “most corrupt” officials and politicia