Johannesburg – The high-profile case involving four entrepreneurs accused of unlawfully inflating the expenses related to the relocation of the manufacturing facility for electric and diesel locomotives from Pretoria to Durban has been postponed until next year by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.

The defendants, Allan Wayne Tichauer, Sudesh Premchand Rocharam, Yaasien Mahomed, and Rafael Bricker, appeared in court on Friday, December 13, 2024, facing allegations of money laundering involving R76 million.

All four individuals and their respective businesses are being prosecuted under The Prevention Of Organised Crime Act.

The accused, Tichauer, Rocharam, Mahomed, and Bricker, have been granted bail set at R50,000 each, subject to stringent conditions, including the surrendering of their passports to the investigating officer and weekly reporting to their local police station.

The case has been rescheduled for January 28, 2025.

Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, noted that the case arises from alleged discrepancies uncovered regarding the costs associated with relocating the locomotive assembly site from Pretoria to Durban.

After Transnet awarded a contract for the production of 1,064 electric and diesel locomotives, the accused allegedly misrepresented the costs of the relocation, surpassing R76 million.

“It was additionally revealed that none of the companies had established a manufacturing facility in Pretoria prior to the decision to move the plant in 2015,” said Mamothame.

“Following the payment from Transnet to CNR, the company tasked with the move, it is alleged that the laundered funds were channeled through various firms owned by the other accused.”