Convicted fraudster Portia ‘Pankie’ Sizani’s sentencing postponed

Sentencing proceedings of convicted fraudster Portia “Pankie” Sizani hit a snag on Tuesday after it emerged in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court that a date for her review application had still not been set.

Sizani, a former Eastern Cape education department official and the wife of ex-ANC chief whip and SA’s ambassador to Germany, Stone Sizani, was found guilty in March 2019 of defrauding the department out of more than R1m.

Sizani was convicted on charges of fraud and money laundering after the state proved she siphoned off R1.2m from the Eastern Cape department of education by processing fraudulent applications for grade R teaching posts.

Sizani was the early development district coordinator at the time and appointed “ghost teachers” and pocketed their pay during 2009 and 2010.

On Tuesday state prosecutor Ronelle Brink told magistrate Lionel Lindoor that a date to hear Sizani’s review application had not yet been set.

In August, Sizani brought the application to review her conviction.

Sizani is out on R5,000 bail.

By agreement between the defence and the state a provisional date of June 26 has been set down for the court to hear the outcome of the review, or when it will be heard.

Lindoor ruled that Sizani was not required to be present at the next provisional court date.

According to Brink, if the review has not been placed by that date a further postponement date can be arranged telephonically.