SIX former employees of the Department of Labour and a physiotherapist appeared in the Pretoria Regional Court yesterday on charges of corruption.

Maxwell Ramaphosa, Samuel Mfeleng, Kgabo Methi, Debbie Venter, Tendani Makumafhezi, Billy Ramskin and physiotherapist Abel Diokano, appeared on charges of fraud and money laundering.

They are allegedly part of a syndicate that has defrauded the department's public entity - the Compensation Fund - of up to R27-million over the past two years.

Ramaphosa and Mfeleng are also implicated in the case of another physiotherapist, Jury Sehunoe of Rustenburg, North West, who admitted to having defrauded the fund of R5-million.

The seven in yesterday's case have allegedly milked the fund of close to R1-million.

Magistrate Mariette Louw postponed the matter to February 13 after Ramaphosa indicated that he needed a legal aid lawyer because he could not afford the fees of a private practitioner.

Mfeleng also needed to be given time to get a legal representative.

Venter's lawyer withdrew as well after she indicated that she would implicate Ramaphosa in the matter.

According to the charge sheet Diokana, with the help of the co-accused, who were then employed by the department, made false claims for patients who did not exist. He allegedly inflated charges of services he did not render. The money, which he allegedly withdrew in four cash transections, was paid into his account.

He then shared the loot with the six accused.

The Compensation Fund is entrusted with paying out claimants who sustained injuries while on duty or contracted diseases while performing duties at their workplaces.

The former department employees are facing four counts of fraud and two counts of money laundering.

They were arrested after the department's internal investigating unit picked up that they were allegedly defrauding the fund.

The unit, known as the Risk Management Directorate, then forwarded the information to the South African Police Service.

The accused are out on warning.