After exchanging a smile and a brief handshake, drug trafficking accused Sheryl Cwele and Nigerian Frank Nabolisa parted ways at the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday.

The two will meet again on October 11 for the start of their trial.

Dressed smartly in a fitted white coat, Cwele was the picture of composure as she sat a distance away from Nabolisa in the dock. Nabolisa, wearing a dark brown suit, shuffled into court yesterday in leg irons and heavily guarded by police.

Cwele, the wife of State Security Minister, Siyabonga Cwele, and Nabolisa face three drug trafficking-related charges. The minister's wife is out on R100 000 bail while Nabolisa filed his bail application papers yesterday.

Nabolisa's bail hearing will take place on February 25.

In his affidavit to the court, Nabolisa denied the allegations against him, but declined to disclose the basis of his defence.

"I have been advised that it is my constitutional right to remain silent and to challenge the evidence against me," he said.

The Nigerian said that he intended pleading not guilty. "I am not a member of any syndicate dealing in drugs and I do not have a propensity to commit crime," he said.

Nabolisa entered South Africa 15 years ago on a refugee permit and was awarded citizenship in February 2004.

During his time in the country he married and divorced two South African women and has a child by each of them.

However, after failing to pay maintenance to his first wife, Nabolisa said the Home Affairs Department decided to withdraw his South African citizenship.

"I was advised to leave the country and apply for an investor's permit in view of my financial and emotional ties to South Africa," he said, adding that he left South Africa for Nigeria in March last year.

"It was never my intention to flee, as I consider South Africa my permanent home."

He denied that he was a flight risk and was prepared to surrender his passports and identity documents to the court.

Declaring his assets, Nabolisa confirmed he owns three businesses. He also has shares in a cosmetics company and a hotel. Nabolisa owns four properties in Gauteng. He said he was in a position to pay a substantial amount of money as bail.

Nabolisa was remanded until his bail application.

Cwele and Nabolisa face charges of 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 9kg of cocaine from South America.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?fsetid=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20100213075149936C837128

Nebolisa is igbo.

@ jona, so??!!