Actress and producer Sonia Mbele has finally made her first court appearance in the tax evasion case against her and two of her fellow directors of Real Housewives of South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Yolisa Gqunta and Rebone Sesing.

SONIA MBELE’S TAX WOES ARE OVER
According to IOL, the former Generations actress appeared at the Johannesburg Magistrate Court on Friday, 20 October, where the prosecutor Kamohelo Selepe said all charges against the three were withdrawn.

The withdrawal of the charges were as a result of Mbele signing an admission of guilt and paying the applicable fee of R41 000.

 
Reads the admission of guilt statement: “I, ‘The Real Housewives of South Africa(Pty) with Reg No: 2017/413908/07, hereby admit guilt to the charges specified in Counts 1 to 41, as mentioned in the attached charge sheet, and tender the admission of guilt fine referred to in the charge sheet.”

Mbele, Gqunta and Sesing were facing 42 counts of not filling company income tax from 2019 to 2022, not filing their Value Added Tax (VAT) returns from 2020 to 2022 and also not filing their Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) from 2020 until 2022.

The Blood and Water actress failed to appear in court on 28 September and 5 October citing ill-health as the cause.

CO-ACCUSED ALLEGEDLY LIED UNDER OATH
According to a source who spoke to Zimoja, the actress decided to carry the bill on her own after her two former partners declared under oath that they were unemployed.

However, the source alleges that Gqunta and Sesing lied under oath.

“They lied oath because one works for a company called Milk and Honey Production and the other one works for a call centre,” said the mole.

Mbele confirmed to the publication that she settled what she owed SARS and said she is glad that this is behind her.