JOHANNESBURG - A former official in the Emfuleni Local Municipality linked to a procurement scandal has been denied bail.
Janitha Van Reenen appeared at the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court on Monday, where her bid for bail was unsuccessful, with the court ruling she was a flight risk.
Magistrate Thizwilondi Mamburu said van Reenen poses a flight risk and releasing her would be a miscarriage of justice.
Van Reenen is facing fraud charges linked to a R16 million "ghost fleet" procurement scandal in the municipality. The scandal involves the municipality allegedly paying for 17 vehicles but receiving only 6, one of which has subsequently disappeared without a trace.
The court also heard allegations that Van Reenen knew about the murder of Emfuleni finance official Martha Mani Rantsofu and is said to have information on the identities of those responsible for the killing.
Rantsofu was shot and killed before she could blow the whistle on corruption in the Emfuleni Municipality.
The case has been postponed to 23 June for further investigations.