THOHOYANDOU - Scores of investors in the Kopanang/Tanganani Pyramid Scheme chanted with joy after Adv. Jonathan Rapudi announced that he would make a decision on the bail application of Dorcus Mado Pitso (30), on 19 August.

Rapudi said he was giving the investigating officer, Capt. Takalani Nematswerani, and his colleagues 21 working days so that they could go to the Western Cape and Kimberly to confirm whether or not the couple was wanted by the police for fraud.

Nematswerani told the court, while opposing Pitso's bail application on Thursday at the Thohoyandou District court, that Pitso was wanted by the police in the Western Cape while her co-accused, Frank Kutumba Kay Kay Kwezi (33) was also wanted by police in Kimberly.

The couple was arrested by the Limpopo Commercial Branch unit two weeks ago, while in the Northwest and in Cape Town. It followed after a search of five years since the two had allegedly disappeared with more than R15 million of the unsuspecting investors' money in March 1997.

The couple's bail application was first heard last Thursday, 5 July, and Magistrate MSR Mantsha then postponed the case to 11 July. It was decided by the two legal teams that there should be a neutral magistrate, who will be coming from outside Venda, to avoid a conflict of interests.

Only Pitso applied for a bail on Thursday as Kwezi indicated that he was no longer going to apply for bail.

Nematswerani appealed to the court, which was overcrowded by concerned investors and media people, that Pitso should not be given bail to give police ample chance to investigate the case.

Answering questions from Adv. Sydwell Sikhwari, leader of Pitso's legal team, Nematswerani said Pitso was not honest, as she had told the court that she was not employed. She had earlier indicated to the police that she has been a registered diamond dealer since 1997. However, police established that Pitso, a mother of two children from Kwezi, had only applied for a diamond license in 1999, which has not yet been approved.

Pitso also told the court she did not own a house, but the police proved that she had three houses worth R4,4 million registered in her name. She even claimed that she had two cars, but the police established that she had three cars, a Caravelle bought in 1999 for R240 000, a Mercedez Benz E 320 bought for R235 000 and Toyota Rav 4 worth R180 000. All the cars and houses were bought for cash.

Many of the investors expressed their disappointment and disgust on how they had been fooled by a young couple, who were under the age of 28 at the time.

Several of the investors include professionals like teachers, principals, nurses, doctors and respected business people.