'Facebook lawyer reconsidering bail‚ after stint in prison'

A case of the man who allegedly hoodwinked unsuspecting clients out of more than R1.5 million while masquerading as a lawyer‚ was postponed in his absence due to a power failure at the Johannesburg prison.

Makhetha Mathumba‚ 33‚ was due to appear before the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Johannesburg on Monday to plead‚ but was a no show as prison officials could not access their computers.

He is facing charges of fraud and impersonating legal representatives.

State prosecutor Terrence Zitha said Mathumba’s lawyers have requested to study the case files before any plea is made.

Zitha said Mathumba’s counsel had indicated they were considering applying for bail.

According to the investigation‚ Mathumba allegedly lured clients through his Facebook account where he posed as a qualified Advocate who had graduated with a master’s degree in Constitutional and Criminal Litigation at the University of Witwatersrand‚ and an LLB degree from the University of Cape Town.

Police investigations revealed that Mathumba was not a qualified lawyer and had only a matric certificate to his credit.

He had posed as a lawyer for six years‚ representing his victims in both criminal and civil matters‚ the police said.

He was arrested after a client he was representing opened a case against him when he failed to appear in court.

During his first appearance last month‚ Mathumba dismissed his bid for bail.

Magistrate Phillip Venter postponed the matter to June 21.