For more than a year Roland Williams, a former communications director at the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, allegedly defaulted on his sentence agreement to repay the insurance firm he had defrauded an amount of R3,500 a month — and now, he appears to be so down and out, he says he cannot afford a lawyer.

Facing serious repercussions, including the prospect of spending the next four years in jail should he be found guilty of having breached the terms of his sentence, Williams was given until December 1 to finalise an application for Legal Aid SA representation...