SA Security Minister’s wife denies drug trafficking

PIETERMARITZBURG – Sheryl Cwele, wife of State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele has denied being involved in drug trafficking.

In bail application papers filed in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday, Cwele, 50, describes how she got involved with the man accused of working with her to traffic drugs.’I wish to categorically state that I never knowingly participated in any drug trafficking, conspiracy or incitement to deal in drugs as set out in the indictment or at all,’ she states.The papers were filed by Cwele’s lawyer Mvuseni Ngubane on Tuesday afternoon.Cwele and Frank Nabolis, a Nigerian arrested last month, face three charges. These are: dealing or conspiring to deal in drugs; procuring a woman called Charmaine Moss to collect drugs in Turkey; and procuring another woman, Tessa Beetge, to smuggle nine kg of cocaine from South America.Brazilian police arrested Beetge in Sao Paulo on June 13, 2008. They found 9,2kg of cocaine concealed in her baggage. She is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence in Sao Paulo for drug trafficking.Cwele, who earned N$29 000 a month as director of health at the Hibiscus Coast Municipality, says she knew Nabolis through her old acquaintance, Nikkie when she worked with her in Johannesburg about 10 years ago. She said she had become close to Nabolis and that he asked her to recruit two white people to work for his company. Nabolis said he had a big construction firm and was tendering for work in South Africa and abroad.She then contacted Moss and Beetge, she says.’He wanted to employ white females to head his company. This would help him to communicate well with white businesses.’They would be based in Johannesburg.Cwele said she trusted Nabolis.’After Tessa (Beetge) left for Johannesburg, Frank phoned. He was furious and he stated that she would not head his company because she did not have matric but standard seven.’Nabolis later told Cwele Beetge would go overseas.’This was a bit of a surprise for me because Frank had dubbed Tessa useless.’Nabolis had kept Cwele updated about various places Beetge would go to.’At one stage he jokingly said I was jealous,’ she states in her papers.She says she had raised concerns to Nabolis after not hearing from Beetge for a long time.’I expressed my deep concern that a person who had left her parents through me appeared to be stranded in a foreign land.’Cwele said she had acted as a conduit between Beetge and Nabolis when she suspected something was amiss.’Frank told me that he was trying to make contact with her, but was failing to do so. His telephone could not connect and the e-mails he was sending were bouncing back.’Cwele said when she appeared in court last Friday, she was prepared to testify and be cross examined, because she had nothing to hide.Explaining her involvement with Charmaine Moss, Cwele said she had arranged for her to meet Nabolis in Johannesburg.’She said she did not have money to go Johannesburg. I offered to give her N$600,’ she said.Cwele said Moss returned from Johannesburg complaining she had been treated badly, but did not give her details.Cwele, who was arrested on Friday, wanted the court to grant her bail. She was married in community of property and has children are aged, 24, 21, 18 and 16.The bail hearing is set to take place on Friday. – Nampa-Sapa