By Bahle Gama
Renowned lawyer Sifiso Charlie Jele is alleged to have forged his client’s signature in a real estate case.
This was said by a beneficiary Nonhlanhla Dlamini before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Monday afternoon where she disclosed that the lawyer allegedly forged her signature to quicken a court application for rentals.
Jele works for SM Jele attorneys and once represented incarcerated former MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube at the earlier stage of their trial in 2021.
She said when her father Samuel Dlamini died, he left behind 10 vehicles, property at Matsapha, and a lot of flats for rental at Mahhala, Kwaluseni, and Madonsa.
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Because there was no cash in his account, the cars and property at Matsapha had to be sold and the money was distributed amongst the beneficiaries which included her siblings and stepmother who received half of the revenue generated.
Each of the children ended up receiving E150,000 from the property and over E6,000 from the sale of two vehicles.
Nonhlanhla said there was a directive that she and her three siblings had to receive money from rentals each month amounting to E7,000.
However, their stepmother Hellen Mkhonta was not forthcoming with the money, and they took the matter to the High Court, where the court ruled in their favour before the matter was appealed at the Supreme Court.
She stated that she and her other two siblings wrote affidavits concerning the rentals and two others were not present when the application was filed.
It was then that the lawyer allegedly forged her signature in an affidavit where she was to undertake that her absent siblings were consenting to the application in absentia.
“I was very shocked and went to the Law Society with the matter to report, but it never went far,” she said.
She further stated that Jele was ‘shady’ and not forthcoming with information about the case, such that when the E7,000 payment to each beneficiary order was made by the High Court, their stepmother paid E21,000 for three siblings.
However, the lawyer said that the whole amount had to pay for his services and the siblings ended up getting nothing.
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The Commission Inquired what the verdict was at the Supreme Court and Nonhlanhla said Jele never communicated anything with them, and they never knew where it ended.
The Commission stated that Jele would have to be summoned to answer what happened to the matter in court and whether the matter is pending or was removed from the roll, because it is unclear what order stands regarding the distribution.
Nonhlanhla also submitted that the main grievance was the rentals they were not receiving from the flats when they as Samuel’s children are entitled to the money for maintenance.
Mkhonta who was present before the Commission submitted that the flats rake in about E60,000 per month part of which goes to maintenance of the respective property and the rest she uses to maintain herself.
When questioned why she was not giving the children their share, Mkhonta was not clear and stated that she was not the one collecting the rentals but an estate agency where she then went to get money for maintenance.
She further told the Commission that she is unwell and has been in an out of hospital for a while now.
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Also present was the executor, Nonhlanhla’s cousin Peterson who told the court that the flats were under a trust fund which was meant to benefit generations to come, therefore Nonhlanhla and her siblings needed to understand that.
He stated that the trust fund is guided by three structures which lost the power of attorney when Samuel died, and it remains an issue that must be rectified because the operation of the flats and collection for rentals is unclear.
“Also, the older beneficiaries need someone to explain to them how the trust fund works and who the other beneficiaries are including their children,” Peterson said.