Sunday Times journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika made a brief appearance in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Friday and has been released on R5 000 bail.

Audio: Wa Afrika leaves court free but under police protection

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga says he appeared with Victor Mlimi and they were ordered to surrender their passports, not leave the country, not interfere with state witnesses and report to their nearest police station once a week between 8am and 8pm.

Mlimi is deputy director of the Mpumalanga housing department.

They should also not commit any offences.

Wa Afrika was charged with fraud, forgery and uttering. Uttering involves circulating money or a document that is fake.

The case was postponed to November 8 for further investigation.

Mhaga said he could not disclose who the state witness was at this stage.

Wa Afrika was originally to have faced charges of fraud and defeating the ends of justice following his public arrest in Rosebank on Wednesday, but on Thursday the case was dropped.

However, he was not released, and the case was reinstated later that day.

His lawyers successfully applied for his release in an urgent application in the High Court in Pretoria on Thursday night.

Wa Afrika was interrogated at 2am on Thursday and was asked by a General Mapiyane, who was reportedly second in command in Mpumalanga's crime intelligence, why he had written a story claiming Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza had resigned.

"I told him to search on Google to see if he will find such a story. He told me that he didn't like my attitude," Wa Afrika was quoted as saying.

Another police official, a Warrant Officer Molapo, reportedly asked him why he was writing about Mpumalanga "as there were eight other provinces to write about".

Wa Afrika also alleged that Hawks spokesman Musa Zondi went to his home to collect his cellphone, although his lawyer Eric van der Berg said he would collect it.

"I want to know what a guy who is not a police official was doing with my phone?" asked Wa Afrika.

Reports had suggested his arrest could be related to his being in possession of a resignation letter purportedly signed by Mabuza, but which the presidency had declared a fake.

Wa Afrika co-wrote an article that appeared in the Sunday Times about a document national police commissioner General Bheki Cele allegedly signed, which related to a R500 million lease agreement for police headquarters in Pretoria.

The Sunday Times reported that this was a lease agreement that had not gone out to tender as required for expenditure exceeding R500,000.

>>Documents: Agreement of lease

At a briefing convened to clarify what Cele called the "incorrect and worse, misleading" article, the police general told reporters in Pretoria on Tuesday that the document was not a lease agreement, but a "needs assessment".

Sunday Times editor Ray Hartley said the paper had a copy of the signed lease in its possession.

It also published a scanned copy of the resignation letter thought to be at the centre of Wa Afrika's woes.

Wa Afrika's arrest came a day after Cele called him a "very shady journalist", and when asked if he would take action against the reporter, he replied: "Time will tell".

After being released wa Afrika said "I'm happy to be out. The truth has set me free and it will continue to set us free."

"I knew I would get bail. They didn't and don't have a case against me. Is it a crime to receive a fax?"

Wa Afrika said the whole drama has inspired him to work harder.

"This will not bring me down. It has given me the inspiration to work harder. I will work harder to get closer to the truth."