Cape Town - Paul Scheepers, the man hired to debug cellphones for Western Cape Premier Helen Zille's office, is set to go on trial on fraud related charges in May 2017.
He made a brief appearance in the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday.
Standing in the dock in Levi jeans and a crisp white shirt, a clean shaven Scheepers simply listened while Prosecutor Thersia du-Toit-Smit explained that he still needed to arrange financial aid for a lawyer.
It was heard that the suspended captain's trial would be held between May 2 and 4. His bail was extended.
He is facing more than 50 criminal charges. The charge sheet was not immediately available on Thursday to see if this had been changed.
READ: Scheepers debugged my phone, but did not spy for me - Zille
The charges include fraud, tender fraud, violating the Electronic Communications Act, perjury, and defeating the ends of justice.
Scheepers allegedly ran a private investigating company called Eagle Eye Technologies. The company won a contract to sweep the newly-installed Democratic Alliance-run Western Cape government's offices for bugs following a provincial Cabinet decision in 2010.
This led to the African National Congress lodging a criminal complaint against Zille. It said that, in hiring Scheepers, she was undermining, and possibly spying on, ANC members.
He allegedly obtained cellphone records for his private investigations by applying for authorisation in his capacity as a policeman.
Zille previously denied this and went as far as securing a Press Ombudsman ruling against headlines calling him "Zille's spy".
