A former police intelligence official accused of falsifying information in order to spy on the cellphones of two Sunday Times journalists has pleaded not guilty.
This happened on Friday at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria where Bongani Cele's trial began.
Former captain Cele‚ 49‚ faces two charges relating to contravening the Regulation of Communication and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (Rica).
While at the Crime Intelligence Unit in Durban‚ Cele allegedly lied to a judge in order to get an interception warrant by matching two journalists’ phone numbers with fictional names in an affidavit and suggesting that the warrant was required to probe a criminal syndicate.
The journalists whose phones were allegedly monitored by Cele are investigative journalists Mzilikazi wa Afrika and Stephan Hofstatter.
Vodacom and MTN provided the journalists' cellphone records‚ the court heard.
Cele made admissions in court but is in dispute with the state relating to a statement he allegedly made.
A trial-within-a-trial is being conducted in which police investigator Major-General Charles Johnson has been called as a witness.
According to Johnson‚ former national police commissioner Bheki Cele's number was also on the interception warrant.
According to activist group Right 2 Know (R2K)‚ this would be a serious violation of the rights of the journalists and would potentially expose the identities of their sources.
"The decision to bug wa Afrika and Hoftstatter's phones was evidently part of a campaign to target journalists who were viewed as 'threats' to the police‚" it said in a statement.
“R2K welcomes the fact that this matter is being prosecuted‚ although the fact that only one official now faces charges‚ when the circumstances suggest more senior officials would also have been involved‚ is a cause of concern.”
The trial continues.
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