Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, ex-wife of the former South African president, Mr Nelson Mandela, was charged yesterday with fraud and theft involving more than a million rand (more than €100,000).
Ms Madikizela-Mandela ( 65) is a member of parliament and president of the women's league of the ruling African National Congress. She faced - composedly - 60 counts of fraud and 25 of theft in the Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria.
The charges concern an alleged scam over the use of her signature to obtain bank loans for people claimed fraudulently to be employees of the women's league.
Investigators said she had made deposits totalling more than 550,000 rand into personal bank accounts - now frozen - since January.
Ms Madikizela-Mandela, known among blacks during the apartheid years as "the Mother of the Nation" in recognition of her defiance and organisation, was formally arrested and fingerprinted before she appeared in court. She was released on bail of 5,000 rand (€555)), raised by well-wishers, with the case postponed to November 20th.
Her lawyer, Mr Bartlett Hewu, told the court Ms Madikizela-Mandela could not afford to pay the bail herself because she spent more than 72,000 rand a month on an income of 17,000 rand a month.
Ms Madikizela-Mandela made no comment on leaving the court but has previously denied the allegations.